Summer Of '12
by Moviepal
Summary: Everyone has one summer that changes their lives forever, and this is Freddie's. The young wife of Marine overseas moves in and Freddie falls for her as he and the gang embark on separate summer romances that will change them all, forever! Seddie by end
1. No More Teachers, No More Books

Summer of '12

Chapter 1: No more Teachers, No more Books

The following story is loosely based on the film "Summer of '42. It is dedicated to Tamathy. You have opened my eyes and allowed me to see that the world is such a beautiful place and shown me just what true love is. Nothing I could say or do could repay you for that, but I will try for the rest of my life to do the same for you!

A/N: Iomg never happened.

Bbbring, Bbbring, Bbbring

It is three o'clock May twenty-fifth, the last day of junior year of high school. The air is full of energy and the bell ringing is like a starter's pistol at a track meet. Without waiting for announcements or teachers letting them go students rushed the doors, sometimes looking like a "Three Stooges" routine as three people at once try to force their way out the door. Freddie Benson sat in his homeroom watching the madness chuckling to himself at the way everyone tried to get out the door so fast. He was looking forward to the summer as much as anyone, but the near manic desire to get out quickly just wasn't his style. By twenty after the doors and hallways were almost clear and he had no trouble leaving class or going to his locker. Carly and Sam stood waiting for him and they were mad as hell.

"What the hell nub, took you long enough," Sam Puckett aka the blonde demon shouted at him as he walked up to the girls.

"I didn't feel like getting trampled underfoot when the herd stampeded," he smiled.

"Well since you're our ride, can we go now?" Carly Shay aka his first crush and now one of his closest friends asked.

"Ladies your chariot awaits," he bowed and pointed toward the doors to the parking lot.

"Whatever nub," Sam slapped him on top of the head and took off running.

Freddie smirked and continued on with Carly to his car. He thought of the three months that stretched before them all. It was going to be the last time that they would all be together really. Next summer would be about getting ready for college and such. He knew that most people laughed at some of his quirks and he was ok with being a "nerd" or a "geek", or a "nub". He understood his place in the world and was contented with the way his life was going. Despite how Sam treated him most of the time he counted her and Carly as his best friends. There was a bond between them that was much stronger and deeper than even they were aware of.

The only part of his life that Freddie hated was the fact that he was painfully shy and very unsure of himself around girls (Carly and Sam not withstanding) and as a result he dated very little and spent large amounts of time alone. He was use to that, being an only child of an over-protective mother, he had learned how to be comfortable being alone, he just didn't enjoy it.

"I'm so stoked about the end of school party tonight," Carly smiled and skipped just a little, "Spencer promised he'd stay in his room and let us have full run of the rest of the apartment for the night."

"You do know that he has cameras set up in all the make out spots don't you," Freddie laughed as he saw Carly's jaw drop, "You didn't think he was going to just trust everyone to be responsible did you?"

"I can't believe he doesn't trust us," Carly fumed.

"Oh he trusts us, it's the other kids he doesn't trust," Freddie laughed at her, "You do tend to pick the guys who like to make out heavily and he wants to stop that. He's your brother Carly; to him you'll always be ten."

"Still, he's going to have to get used to the idea that I'm about to be eighteen years old and not a baby anymore," she said, poking her bottom lip out just like a little girl does when she doesn't get her way and causing Freddie to chuckle to himself.

'We're all growing up,' he thought, 'When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things,' that bit of scripture from 1Corinthians 13:11 had stuck in his brain when he was younger. He hadn't thought of it in years and was at a loss as to why it popped into his head now, no that wasn't true, he had felt something coming, like his granddad used to do with the shrapnel in his leg just before a storm or snow, he had felt this unknown thing outside himself rushing toward him and he knew that it would change him forever. It both excited and scared him, but it was coming, he just hoped he would be ready for it when it arrived, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things," 'One last summer before the world body slams you into adulthood Freddie my boy,' he thought as he opened the doors for Carly and Sam.

The ride back to Bushwell was typical, Sam in the front seat rapidly tuning stations looking for songs she liked and then turning the volume up so loud that people in Oregon surely must hear it. 'At least she is like me,' he thought, 'and hates rap with a passion.' Freddie believed that if you counted rhyming as the elements of a great rapper, then Dr. Seuss was the best rapper of all time,

I do not like green eggs and ham

I do not like them Sam I am

Peace out, Biotch!

Freddie smiled to himself at his own clever joke, knowing that he would be the only one who would ever hear it.

As they stopped at a red light Sam began her second favorite thing to do while riding in his car. She took several pennies out of his ashtray, he always threw any change he go at drive-thru's in it, and began to roll them across the hood of the car beside her while smiling at the driver of said car. Freddie shook his head and commented, "You're going to get me killed doing that one day."

"Like that would be a huge loss to the world," Sam grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.

They had both pretty much tuned out Carly, who was in the backseat chattering away about the party. For her part Carly didn't seem to notice that no one was listening to her, she was in her own little world. Sam and Freddie weren't trying to be mean tuning her out, but when Carly got on a roll, she could talk for hours and at such a high rate of speed that if you didn't tune her out there was a real danger of your head exploding from the sheer force of trying to keep up with her. It was much easier to tune her out and just throw out the occasional "uh hun's" and hope for the best.

The man in the car that Sam was rolling pennies across began blowing his horn and giving her the finger, which she promptly shot back at him. The man opened his door and got out of his car, yelling something about Freddie never being able to have children because he was about to be force fed his testicles, which Freddie didn't find appealing in the least. Luckily for him, just as the man made it to his side of the car the light changed and Freddie floored the pedal and left the man in a cloud of rubber smoke and curse words from Sam about the size of his "organ" and with whom he preferred to use it.

Freddie pulled into the lot at Bushwell and got out of the car, slamming the door and storming over to Sam's. He jerked it open and for the first time in his life felt the overwhelming urge to punch a woman in the face, well a Puckett anyway. Instead he also opened Carly's door and then quietly walked into the complex without a word to either of them. Sam's laugh died out when he had turned around and all traces of humor left her as he walked away without a word. 'That isn't how the game is played Benson,' she thought to herself, 'I push, you react, we both score a few revenge points and we begin again. This walk away shit isn't going to cut it, I won't stand for it.'

Freddie entered the lobby just as a woman waiting for the elevator lost her grip on the box she was holding marked "Fragile".

"Oh shit," the unseen woman shouted as Freddie dived after the box and caught it just before it hit the ground, saving the box, but knocking the wind out of him. He rolled over still trying to catch his breath, and found that he couldn't find it again.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had flowing red hair, hypnotic gray/green eyes, a small almost button nose, and a smile that could give the sun a run for its money. She was so beautiful that it actually hurt to look at her. He felt his face turn red and the beginnings of a hard-on. He tried to speak, but nothing would come out, just a rush of air and mindless noise.

She spoke to him, "Oh thank you so much young man, some of those things have been in my family for over a hundred years."

All he could do was offer her a goofy "I'm a dumbass" grin, and marvel at how beautiful her voice was and how he really needed to stop staring at her legs, bare midriff, and her what had to be D-cup breast before she caught him, if she hadn't already. 'Say something dumbass, anything, just don't lay here and look like your Lenny from "Of mice and men", speak jackass, SPEAK!' his mind screamed at him.

"I always try to help legs in debreast," he quickly and smoothly said, proud of himself for speaking at all, till he actually heard what he had said, and then wished he had just remained silent and appeared stupid rather than speaking and removing all doubt.

She laughed and he found himself getting harder at the sound.

'Well, Romeo, let's try to salvage some part of your dignity,' he thought and then spoke again, "I mean, I always try to help LADIES in DESTRESS."

She laughed and set the other box in her hand down and took the box Freddie had and allowed him to get up. He then took the box back from her and spoke CAREFULLY again, "I'd be happy to help you take this stuff to wherever you're going."

'Well thank you…" she waited for him to tell her his name.

"Freddi… Fred, Fred Benson, I live on the eighth floor," he forced his voice a little lower than it really was, trying to impress her.

"I'm Melissa, Melissa Langford, and I am very glad to meet you Freddi… Fred Benson, she smiled at him and he lost his words again, "I'm moving in on the seventh floor and I would really appreciate you doing that."

Carly and Sam walked into the lobby just as the doors closed on Freddie and Melissa's elevator. Carly was lost in thought planning the party and Sam was still upset that Freddie hadn't played their game right. She didn't know why it made her so… so... she was not upset, not mad or angry, she was hurt. 'How the hell could the "nub" not playing our game make me feel hurt,' she wondered, 'since when do I give a shit what Fredhole does or doesn't do?'

Carly was already planning the music to be played and what food to serve when she looked up and noticed that it was just her and Sam waiting on the elevator.

"Where did Freddie go?" she raised her eyebrow and set a slightly hurt look on her face that he would walk away while she was talking to them.

"He got the fuzz on his peach in a bunch over the penny roll and stormed off mad," Sam tried not to sound to hurt, but failed in the attempt.

Carly noticed the hurt, but decided to let it slide for now, "Sam, honestly you've got to stop being so cruel to him. Next to me, he's the best friend you have and one day you're gonna push him too far and then we'll lose him, and no Freddie, no iCarly."

"Chillax, Fredwiner will calm down and he'll be talking to momma just like always," Sam's voice sounded more sure than she felt. She had never seen him look at her like that before. It was the look she had seen in her father's eyes, before he left, just before he would hit or slap her. She knew with all her heart that Freddie would never hurt her or let her be hurt if he could help it. 'Damn girl,' she thought, 'what the hell are you doing thinking about the "nub" like that for? You'd think you liked the runt or something.'

Freddie and Melissa stepped off the elevator on the seventh floor and walked to the door of seven-B. She set the box she carried down, giving Freddie a great view of her fabulously well toned ass, and took her keys out and unlocked the door. The apartment was a one story two bedroom floor plan with a large living room and a separate kitchen. It was very spacious and at the moment filled with boxes and very little furniture.

Melissa smiled at him and answered his unspoken question, "The movers will be here tomorrow with the rest of our stuff."

"Our stuff?" Freddie felt his crest fall at the knowledge of "our".

"My husband, Charlie, he's a Marine and he's in Afghanistan right now, but he's coming home in September. This is going to be our first home since we got married," she gushed as she talked to Freddie and despite himself he couldn't help but feel jealous of Charlie being married to such a perfect woman.

"You can set that box down on the counter there if you like?" she nodded her head toward the counter/bar that ran along the half wall that separated the kitchen and living room. Freddie smiled at her and set the heavy box of breakable items down.

"Boy, they sure didn't do very much cleaning up or work in here before they let you move in," he observed as he looked at the stains and holes in the wall and the sorry state of the carpet.

"Oh I got the rent dropped quite a bit by offering to clean and fix and paint the place myself," she looked around the place, "I'll probably take me all summer, but the discount on the rent is worth it."

The idea was in his head and out his mouth at almost the same time, "Do you have someone to help you with all of this?"

"Nope, just me, myself, and I," she shook her head.

"I live right upstairs and I don't have a job this summer, I could help you if you want," he said in an eager tone with a smile on his face, "I'm real good with my hands and I've helped my mom paint our apartment before, so I'm good at that."

"Fred I wouldn't be able to pay you very much, if at all," Melissa started to say.

"That's ok," he jumped in, "Just think of it as keeping me out of trouble for the summer and maybe feed me lunch or something every once and a while, ok?"

"That's really sweet of you Fred," she smiled at him and touched his face, "Ok, it's a deal. Can you start on Monday morning at say nine?"

The grin that broke across Freddie's face was stunning in its brightness, as he nodded and told her, "Yes."

"I'll get my computer hooked up somehow and video chat with Charlie and see if we can't slip a little money your way also, no arguments on that either."

"Well as fate would have it, I'm a class one grade A computer "Geek", my friends and I do a web show called "iCarly" and in handle all the tech stuff, I can hook you up in no time."

"So that's why you look so familiar, Charlie and I watch the show sometimes," she grinned at him and made like she was fanning herself, "I had no idea that I was in the presence of a star."

Freddie's face turned red and he found himself digging a toe at the carpet. She could tell he was in the throes of a massive crush on her and it made her feel good. He was cute and she could tell that he had no idea how cute he was, and that made him even cuter. She would have to be careful and let him know that she wasn't on the market and that she definitely was not a cougar on the prowl. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt this sweet young man. She could see that he was very shy most of the time and reminded her so much of Charlie when he was that age.

She had fallen in love with Charlie over the course of many years. They had met when they were eleven and she despised him with every part of her being. He was short, high voiced, scrawny, and most of all, he was a complete and utter "geek", with a capitol "G". She had decided to make it her life's work to make his existents a living hell. She hit him, tripped him, played jokes on him, and in general humiliated him whenever she could. But it didn't faze him at all, in fact he gave as good as he got and a war of attrition began between the two, but instead of one giving up as would be expected, they both dug in and fought tooth and nail. They also grudgingly became friends. She would vent her problems to him and he did the same. They would never violate each other's trust, not even for a joke or prank. She had dated several guys, and she used that term loosely, but something always made her pull back from them. Charlie began to grow, one summer shooting up to almost six feet tall, and filled out. Suddenly the runt wasn't a runt anymore and she found that she couldn't get him off her mind, but she tried. She began to date the school hunk, but he didn't excite her at all. One day, three weeks into junior year, she confessed to Charlie that the boy, Larry, wasn't exciting to her and Charlie had smiled and told her that he knew she wasn't into Larry, and that she wouldn't be into any guy she met. She had looked at him shocked and asked him just what he meant by that. Charlie had turned to her and set his book bag down and placed his hands gently on either side of her face and pulled her into a passionate kiss that left her barely able to stand and her heart racing so fast she was sure it would explode.

"Because none of them make you feel like that, and that's what you need and want," he had smiled at her and picked up his bag, walking away like nothing had happened. She had just stared at the spot he had been and ran her hands over the spots on her face that he had touched.

"I'm playing poker with the guys this afternoon," he yelled out to her, breaking her out of the stupor his kiss had put her in, "if you figure out what it is that you want to do about that, I'll be home after eight tonight,"

She spent the rest of the day planning on just how bad she was going to beat the shit out of him, but at seven-fifty-five pm, she was sitting on his porch as he walked up and instead of the planed beat down, she launched herself at him and wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him with a passion that she didn't know existed.

They spent the weekend together and she never looked back. They had dated junior and senior year and when he had left for Marine boot camp she had fallen into a huge depression. After he had completed that he came home and over Christmas asked her to marry him. The wedding was set, but he got called up and sent to Afghanistan. He had gotten leave and sent home for a month, so on May 1st, 2012 they had married and spent the most wonderful two weeks of her life together before he had to go back, but come November he would be home for good and she couldn't wait.

"Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow night at five o'clock," she smiled at him, "Do you like meatloaf?"

"My mom is obsessed with my health and rarely if ever fixes food that has any real taste," he had a look of disgust on his face, "anything not cooked by her sounds fantastic."

Melissa laughed at his explanation and spoke, "Then meatloaf it is, with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, cabbage, and corn. You can hook me up while it's cooking and then you can meet Charlie when I talk to him, how does that sound?"

Freddie wasn't excited about seeing her husband, but the idea of sitting down and eating dinner with her caused the region south of his belt to stir and a warmth spread throughout his body, "That sound great," he smiled and shook her hand, entirely too long and hard, "Well I guess I better go, my friend Carly is having an end of school party tonight and I kind of have to go, so see you tomorrow at five."

"Have a good time Fred," Melissa smiled at him as he left and she shut the door. She hoped that some special girl would notice how great a young man he was and would take the time to get to know him. She wanted him to find a girl that would treat him right, because she could see the Charlie in him and knew he would make someone very happy.

.

Carly was very much in her happy place at the moment. The party was going full blast and everyone was having a ball. She looked around the room and people were dancing and the food was being eaten and she could see that Dale, the hottest guy she had seen in quite awhile at school, was staring at her. She crossed the room and found Sam sitting at a table talking to Freddie and Gibby with a Wahoo punch in her hand and pulled her up and over to the side.

"Jeez Carly, what the hell," Sam complained at the strong arm tactic from her friend and being pulled away from one of her better putdowns of Freddie in sometime.

"Sorry Sam," Carly said impatiently, "Look," she pointed to Dale, being very discreet, "Dale Watson came and he's been checking me out all night. Oh my God Sam, he's so hot. Do you think he'll ask me out?"

"Well how about if he asks you to dance first?" Sam smiled at her over eager friend. Carly always went in with both barrels blazing when it came to a new guy. Any other girl would have earned the reputation as a tease or as easy, but Carly was so innocent and pure that she never got that label.

"Oh well yeah, that would be cool," Carly tried not to look so "fangirl" at Dale, but she knew she was failing that miserably. She felt her eyes go wide when she saw him begin to walk toward her.

"Oh shit, here he comes, later," Carly shoved Sam away so fast and hard that Sam bumped into some random dude.

"Damn it Shay," Sam swore at her friend, but smiled at the way her best friend got worked up over yet another boy, "I'm so sorry about bumping into you dude, my friend is crazy."

The tall blonde headed boy turned around and smiled at her, "Well I'm not. I'm Will, Will Graham and you're Sam Puckett of iCarly, great to meet you.

Sam was immediately struck by the smile Will had on his face. She thought he was amazing looking and couldn't believe he was glad to meet her.

"How come I've never seen you before?" Sam asked him, leaning close to be heard over the music and crowd. She thought he smelled great, breathing in his cologne as she spoke.

"I just moved here last month, I'm Wendy's cousin," he told her, "Listen I hope I'm not out of line, but are you and that guy dating?" he pointed toward Freddie.

Sam looked at Freddie and felt something she wasn't sure of, but shook her head, "Freddie and me? No we're not dating. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you've been sitting with him and big kid with no shirt most of the night and you looked like you were really into him, but if you say you're not then cool," he smiled at her, "I was wondering if you'd like to dance?"

"Um … Su… sure, I guess, I mean yes. Let me sit my drink down," Sam smiled at Will and felt a blush begin to creep up her face. She walked back over to the table where Freddie and Gibby sat and put her drink down, looking at Freddie with a grin.

"He asked me, ME, to dance Freddie, can you believe that?"

"Sure I can demon," he smiled at her, "for pure evil, you're really quite a looker. Now get your ass over there and dance with him before someone else does."

Sam was surprised at what Freddie had said, and a little stunned that she was upset that he didn't get mad about the guy, which was strange to her. She turned and saw Will smile at her and found herself excited by him and a little nervous at the same time. This guy had spoken to HER, asked HER to dance, and seemed to be into HER. 'This might turn out to be a very interesting summer,' she thought as she walked back toward him.

Will was amazed that someone so beautiful would be without a boyfriend and that she would dance with him. He took her hand and led her to the floor just as "Lady Antebellum" "Just A Kiss" began to play. He slipped his arm around her waist and took her right hand as she put her left arm around his shoulders and they began to dance. Sam felt something like butterflies in her stomach and couldn't help but feel a little thrill that this really cute guy had chosen her to dance with. He pulled her a little closer to him and in spite of herself; she put her head on his shoulder and smiled.

. Well, I hope you like it so far. This is going to be different from my other stories I hope and we are going to take our time getting to the end. I want the characters to all have a life of their own and not just be stumbling blocks for our trio. Everyone is going to have a summer romance here. Not all will end well, but everyone will grow, at least that is my hope if I do this right. I hope the romances are to your liking, just remember though, sometimes it takes a lot to see what is right in front of you. As always, PLEASE, PLEASE, let me know what you think and how you like this one!

Read

~The CABAL~

aussiemma, axel100, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Coyote Laughs, iCabal, ItalianBabexo8, JamesTheGreater, KeyLimePie14, KingxLeon21, Moviepal, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, Pieequals36, pigwiz, PsychoticAppleSauce, Rhiabrey Skye, sidouxamer, Tech-Man, The Earl of Sandwich, twowritehands, Virgoleo23, Waffles Of Doom, WhiteKnightro, Wicked Allurement, xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.

The Cabal authors produce the best.

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial


	2. The Party

The Party

Freddie watched his best friend, despite everything, dance with the new guy and smiled to himself, 'I hope this guy is really good to you,' he thought, 'you deserve a guy who will treat you right for a change.'

Gibby was going on about liquid soap or something like that, Freddie had turned the volume down on him, but Freddie was thinking about Melissa and their "date" tomorrow night. He had done some checking in the rental contract, he had hinted at the idea that his mom might be ready to start up again with Lewbert to get a look at it, and found that Melissa was only twenty-three years old and had moved here from Tennessee. He wasn't trying to be a creeper or stalker in doing that; you just didn't ask a lady her age. While he didn't believe in cheating, he still found the thought of being near her all summer helping her out as something that might let the spark he felt for her smolder and maybe catch fire.

He was deep in that dream world and feeling the beginnings of yet another boner when someone slapped his back softly, pulling him back from the seduction scene in his mind.

Brad sat down in Sam's chair and leaned over the table like a conspirator about to divulge a plot to kill someone, and motioned for Freddie and Gibby to lean over as well.

"Dudes, see those three girls over there?" Brad pointed to three semi-cute girls over by Spencer's bottle-bot doing the "lonely girl shuffle" which closely resembles the "lonely guy shuffle".

The "shuffle" is the dance everyone does at parties when they can't get someone to dance with them or are too shy to ask someone. The person tries to keep time with the song, swaying their hips, moving both up and down, first the right and then the left, and sometimes the "shuffler" will bite their bottom lip. If alcohol is involved the "shuffle" will become more intense the drunker the person becomes.

"Yes," both Freddie and Gibby said.

"Well they are all alone and are interested in dancing with us and going out on a date, but only if all three can go out," Brad wiggled his eyebrows at them, "and I say we "oblige" them dudes. Listen to me guys, no way in hell are we going to start senior year as virgins, we are all three gonna get laid this summer come hell or high water."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that," Gibby leered at the girls, "The summer of poontang, Gibby likes."

"Oh my God, Gibby with a boner, suddenly my sex drive has completely fallen of the chart," Freddie laughed and turned to Brad, "What makes you think that those girls are gonna give it up to us before the summers over or anytime at all?"

"Well for one," Brad extended his index finger, "they ain't that popular," the middle finger, "two they don't got boyfriends," the ring finger, "three they think we're cute," the pinky finger, "and four we're the iCarly dudes, so we are kind of like celebrities, and girls love to give it up to celebrities."

"That's it?" Freddie shook his head at his friend and co-worker, "they just give it up like that?"

"Look numnuts, the point isn't whether it's those chicks or some others; the point is we get laid this summer."

"Damn Brad, you make it sound like it's some kind of contest or something."

"Even better, Whoever doesn't get laid this summer has to get up in front of everyone at Carly's back to school party and tell everyone that they are a virgin," Brad extended his hand to the middle of the table, palm down, "deal?"

"GIBBY," Gibby said as he placed his hand on top of Brads.

They both looked at Freddie who was just looking back at them, disapproval on his face, "Guys, don't you think this is just a little sick?"

"No I don't," Brad smiled at him, "come on dude, you got nothing to lose but your cherry."

Freddie rubbed his chin with his left hand for a second and against everything he believed in, he extended his right hand and placed it on top of theirs, "I'm gonna regret this."

.

Carly couldn't believe that Dale Watson was talking to her. He was like the alpha male at Ridgeway and had his pick of girls to ask out, but here he was chatting her up and flashing his million dollar smile.

Dale stood just a little under six feet tall and had chestnut colored hair with light brown eyes that she thought sparkled as he talked. Carly was working her patented "I'm really into you" routine. She had her head cocked to the left side looking up at him and was twirling some of her dark hair around her index finger as she nodded.

"This is a killer party Carly," Dale smiled at her, looking around the place and then back at her as he tried to stand up a little straighter so he looked taller, "you sure do have a lot of friends."

"The show helps that out a lot," she flashed a dizzying smile at him.

"It is a very cool show," he grinned back, struck by how beautiful she was and how down to earth she seemed to be, "So… uh… want to dance?"

Carly smiled and twisted some hair around her index finger, "Sure."

Dale led her to an open spot of floor and slipped his arms around her and as she put her arms around his neck they began to slow dance.

"You know I watch your show all the time," he was looking down at her as he spoke, "You and Sam are hilarious. Is it scripted or are you guys just winging it on the fly?"

"We have a general idea of what we're doing, but we can definitely go off script when we have to."

"I gotta admit I was a little nervous about talking to you," he grinned at the puzzled look on her face, "I mean you're a celebrity and all and I'm just Joe Shmoe from Bumfuck Egypt. It's really kind of intimidating. It took me thirty minutes to get the nerve up to come over and do it. I really figured you would look at me and laugh right in my face."

"I would never do that," she smiled at him.

"Well I know that now, but then I had no clue."

They continued dance and talk the small talk that a boy and a girl talk about when the first meet and find themselves attracted to each other.

,

Sam and Will were dancing on the other side of the room and were lost in each other. They talked and laughed about nothing at all.

"… So we ended up jumping out of the cargo plane into Japan," Sam laughed, "So what about you? What kind of interesting stories do you have to tell?"

"Well let's see," he grinned at her as they stopped dancing and began to head for the snack table, "I'm from New Mexico, I play guitar and under no circumstances do I sing. I sing so bad that my deaf cousin tells me he can feel the tone deafness of my voice."

"Oh it couldn't be that bad."

"I sang once in New Mexico and coyotes bum rushed the block thinking it was female in heat. I shit you not."

Sam laughed and suddenly realized that they had been talking and dancing for over an hour. She felt at ease with Will and was enjoying the fact that he was listening to her. He was talking also, but he was listening to her and letting her talk without trying to run some kind of angle to get her to make-out with him.

'If he did want to, I would be more than happy to," she thought as she noticed a warmth in his green eyes, 'What the hell is happening to me? I'm really getting girly over this guy.'

.

Brad led Freddie and Gibby over to the three girls he had pointed out earlier. Freddie could already feel the awkwardness rising in his stomach. The girls were a strange little contrasting group. The blonde wore her hair up and stood at almost five- eleven with blue eyes and the look of someone who would rather be reading a book than standing at a party where she was invisible.

The girl with jet black hair wore thick horn rimmed glasses that unfortunately brought attention her slightly bent nose. She stood at maybe five-six and had one brown and one gray one. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, desperately wanting to run away, but too scared to, which made her rail thin body shake.

The last girl was four-six maybe and weighed at least two hundred pounds. Her light brown hair was long and done up in a ponytail that rested on her shoulder and hung down her front in-between her rather large breasts. She looked like she had spent her whole life being picked last in gym or the girl everyone passes by on the way to ask someone else to dance. Freddie could see the hurt in her brown eyes and made up his mind in that instant what he was going to do.

When they arrived in front of them Freddie made a point of standing in front of her and giving her one of his best smiles. She looked behind her for a second, thinking the smile was for someone else, and then turned back to him as if to say, 'who me?' with her eyes. He nodded at her and kept smiling. Then her cheeks turned red and she smiled from ear to ear standing a little taller. She looked down at her feet and then back at him again as the nervous game of "meeting for the first time" game began.

"Ladies allow me to introduce my buds here," Brad pointed to Gibby, "This is Gibby," he pointed to Freddie, "and this is Freddie," both boys nodded as he continued on, "and guys this is Linda," he pointed to the blonde, "this is Sally," the deer in the headlights, "and this Tara," the girl Freddie stood in front of.

They all said hellos and Linda and Sally made a beeline for Freddie, who politely walked past them, and asked Tara to dance. She looked stunned and unable to speak, because all she did was nod yes with her beautiful smile intact.

Freddie walked them to the middle of the room and placed his arms around her waist as she strained to get hers up to his neck. She gave that up, he was just too tall, and so she settled for putting them around his chest.

"So Tara," he looked down at her, "I'm sorry to say that I don't think I've seen you before, do you go to Ridgeway?"

"Yeah, I'll be a junior next year," Tara spoke softly, "and it's ok, most people don't notice me.

"Well then that's their loss, he grinned at her as they swayed, "I'm just glad you came tonight and that Gibby or Brad didn't ask you to dance first."

Tara's face turned almost purple with the blush that spread across her face, "I know you're just being nice to me because you have to for your friends, but thank you just the same."

Freddie removed one hand from her waist and placed it under her chin and lifted her face so they were looking into each other's eyes, "First of all don't put yourself down like that, second of all I don't do things like that, and third of all," he bent down and kissed her on the cheek, "I wanted to dance with you, that's why I asked."

Tara was not sure if her feet were on the ground anymore. She wasn't even sure if she was awake at all, because things like that never happened to her, EVER! One of the hottest boys in school asked her to dance and kissed her cheek, in front of everyone no less, and had done so because he wanted to not because he had to.

'Ok lord, I'm ready to go home now," she thought to herself, 'please, please don't let this be a dream.'

As they danced she noticed that everyone was watching them, "Freddie," she whispered, "Everyone is staring at us."

"Yep, they are, because the prettiest girl in the room is dancing with me," he smiled and twirled her around once and then dipped her. She laughed and Freddie couldn't help but grin. The song finished and they made their way to the snack table for a drink. Carly and Sam were both standing there with Will and Dale.

"Tara, these are my best friends," Sam was floored at him calling her one of his best friends, "Sam and Carly. Carly and Sam this is Tara."

Sam and Carly introduced Will and Dale and the six of them started talking. The party finally ran down at ten-thirty, and after Brad and Gibby left, Gibby with Linda and Brad with Sally, the six of them cleaned up and talked.

"Hey I got an idea," Dale snapped his fingers, "why don't we all go to the beach tomorrow; maybe even have a cook-out at the beach?"

"Well I'm up for the beach," Freddie said, "but I have to help the lady who moved into seven-B hook up her computer, so the night is out for me."

"Someone new moved in?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, her name is Melissa Langford," Freddie said doing his best to hide the feelings he felt for her so no one would find out, "Her husband is a Marine in Afghanistan and actually I'll be working for her this summer getting the place fixed up. She took a big cut in rent by doing it herself, but it's just too much stuff for her alone."

"All right then," Dale seemed to be a natural planner, "How about we all meet here at, say nine in the morning?"

"I…I don't know," Tara said skittishly, "I'm not big on the beach," she lowered her head and mumbled, 'people make fun of me because of my weight and I look awful in a swimsuit anyway."

Freddie put his hand under her chin again and brought her head up so she could see his eyes, "You'll look great and if anyone makes fun of you I'll sic Sam on them and she'll do nasty things to them, right Sam?"

"I'll have my butter sock at the ready," she grinned.

"See all taken care of, so come on, join us," he stood up and began to shamble around the room like a zombie, "Join us, join us, join us."

Sam, Carly, Will, and Dale stood and began to do the same thing as Tara began laughing so hard that she began to cry. The five "zombies" now surrounded her chanting, "join us", all she could do was nod yes and fan herself.

. Twenty minutes later Freddie parked his car in front of Tara's house and walked her to the porch.

"Listen Tara, I really need to tell you something," Freddie looked at her, "You're a very special girl and I had a great time tonight and I… well …I…," she cut him off before he could say anymore.

'You really like me, but you don't feel "that way" about me, right?" she smiled a sad little smile at him.

"Well what I was going to say was I've got this really bad crush on this lady that moved into my building," he couldn't believe he was telling her this, "and right now that's where my head is at. Don't get me wrong, I know nothing will happen between this woman and me, but I can't help how I feel. I really enjoyed tonight and would love to spend more time with you, but I just wanted you to know I'm not at a going steady kind of place. I don't want to hurt you or lead you on, but I do want to spend time with you. Is any of this making sense at all or am I sounding like a nut?"

"I understand you perfectly I think and you have no idea what you telling me this means to me," she looked up at him with a smile, "I won't get hurt and I do understand, and I just want you to know I'm going to do my best to make you fall for me, deal?"

He grinned at her and bent down close to her face, "You just might at that," then he kissed her lightly on the lips. He broke the kiss and noticed she stayed in the position for a minute, "Goodnight Tara.

He walked back to his car and as he left the block he heard a shout echo through the air:

"Freddie freaking Benson kissed me, ME do you hear world he kissed me

And all you haters out there can kiss my big fat wide ass right in the crack!"

Freddie laughed hard and smiled to himself and thought, 'we may not become a couple, but I'm gonna help that girl see how special and beautiful she is. Wow Benson, crushing hard on a married woman and trying to help another one see that she is worth so much more that she knows, what the hell is happening to me. This summer was going to be wild and crazy.' He headed back to Bushwell with Tara and swimming, and Melissa and meatloaf on his mind.

.

Sam walked Will to the elevator and waited with him for it to arrive. She was in another world, happier than she had ever been and she knew Will was the cause of it. She wanted the night to last forever and she wanted to feel Will's arms around her again. She leaned against the wall and stared into his green eyes and just listened to his tale of brotherly woe, "… so the little shit sticks his tongue out at me and grins as he yells, "Mom, Will hit me and broke my game." Well she rounds the corner, I've got the little bastards broken game in my hand, he has dirt all over him and of course I look and am as mad as hell so I end up grounded, paying for the game and stewing over how to get the little nut hugger back," Will laughed and Sam was amazed at the warmth that it put out.

She giggled and poked him in the ribs, "Never underestimate the power of the small bubba, I think I like your brother," her eyes sparkled as she laughed and he leaned in a little closer to her and very lightly kissed her on the lips, then pulled away.

Just as he did elevator dinged and Freddie stepped out whistling some tune by Richard Marx called "Hold on to the Night" which Sam knew was a song about a man arguing with himself about cheating on someone when he had done his best to do the right thing for everyone else involved. Sam was surprised at just how different Freddie looked now from the way he had looked earlier today. For a split second she found him the only thing on her mind and then Will spoke to Freddie and Sam's mind snapped back to Will.

"Hey Fred man," Will pulled him to the side and whispered to him, although Sam could hear him, "Thanks bro for clueing me in and helping me out, I owe you, big time!"

"Just do right by her, or somewhere when you least expect it, I'll jump out of an alley and put an ass whooping like you wouldn't believe on you bro!" Freddie was very serious as the two pounded fists.

"Like she a princess," he smiled and Freddie walked on by as Will took Sam's hand and kissed it goodnight, "See you tomorrow sunshine," he winked and stepped into the elevator, "Freddie, beach and volleyball dude?"

"Sounds like a plan," Freddie turned and laughed, walking backwards as he spoke.

The door closed, Will winking at Sam before it did. Sam turned and ran to catch up Freddie, "What was that all about Freddie?" Sam asked, really interested in what the two of them had talked about.

"Nothing, he just wanted to know about the show, "Freddie grinned at her, knowing she wouldn't accept that as an answer.

"Bullshit, nub," Sam grinned and jumped on Freddie's back, surprised at how muscular he felt and how she seemed to be of no consequence weight wise to him, and began to tickle his sides.

"I'm not ticklish anymore princess," his deep voice suddenly sending a chill, a good chill, to all kinds of places all over her body, "Take two," he twisted and backed her carefully into the wall and began to tickle the underside of her legs, sending her into spasms of laughter.

With no choice left, she took hold of his right ear and began to pull with all her might.

"Ow, ow, ow, fucking ow Sam," Freddie felt like the ear was coming off at the nerve ending, "shit Sam I need that to hear with, shit fire fuck!"

Laughing as she let go and jumped from his back, Sam bounced in front of him as he rubbed his ear and jumped around, "What did you two talk about?" Sam laughed, this was the game, the one he had refused to play earlier in the day, the game she had come to expect, and to some degree that she would never admit, even to herself, need and crave.

"Shit Sam," he tried but couldn't feel anything but an ache at the point where his ear joined with his skull, "he just wanted to know if we had dated and when I said HELL NO, he wanted to know about you and things you liked and didn't like, so I told him. Jesus, say something into this ear Puckett I think I'm deaf now," he pointed to his right ear.

Sam was caught off guard by what he had said and had done for her that she stepped up and whispered in his ear as she kissed it softly, "Thank you Freddierly, and if you ever tell anyone about this, I'll put itching powder in your underwear and tell your mom you have ticks."

"It remains between us demon," he kissed her forehead and smiled.

They looked at each other and then he threw his arm around her shoulders as she put her arm around his waist and they walked toward Carly's door, "I can't believe you said that you'd "whoop his ass" if he treated me bad," Sam laughed.

"And I meant it, if he doesn't treat you right I know a place that they'll never find the body," he smirked and kicked his right leg up and caught her behind with his foot. They both laughed and kept on walking toward Carly's.

.

Carly walked Dale to his car, a goofy smile on her face. Dale had slipped his left arm around Carly's waist and was lost in an internal battle about if he should kiss her or not. He didn't want to come on too strong, but he really, really wanted to kiss her, badly.

When they got to his car, Dale faced her and stuttered, "Ca… Ca… Carly, I um, well, I um kind of what to ask you some 'em and it's gonna sound, well I don't know how it's gonna sound, but the thing is I really like you and I was wonder'en if I could ki…"

Carly couldn't wait any longer and kissed him herself. The kiss started out slow and kind of old fashioned, like a the ones from the old black and white movies, but suddenly Carly felt Dale's tongue run along her bottom lip and she let it enter her mouth with a moan that was matched by his own. As her hands went around his neck, his went around her waist and he pulled her closer. Carly felt her stomach do a flip and she suddenly felt a warmth in her core that spread over her body.

As they broke the kiss, they both had the goofy face that all young lovers get when they first meet, the slightly dazed, glassy eyed, and grin that doesn't go away for days.

"Listen, I um… better get going," he told her as he began to fumble for the keys to his car, the keys he had in his left hand, "w… where the hell are my keys? Awe damn it."

Carly smiled and reached for his hand and raised to his face and jingled them at him. She laughed when he turned red.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he grinned and got in his car and drove off, Carly watching till his tail lights disappeared from view.

Carly walked in the haze of a summer kisses, where lovers walk and every day is perfect. She didn't even hear Lewbert as he screamed at her for walking on his floor.

'This is going to be a hell of a summer,' she thought.

Let me know what you think.

Read

~The CABAL~

aussiemma, axel100, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Coyote Laughs, iCabal, ItalianBabexo8, JamesTheGreater, KeyLimePie14, KingxLeon21, Moviepal, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, Pieequals36, pigwiz, PsychoticAppleSauce, Rhiabrey Skye, sidouxamer, Tech-Man, The Earl of Sandwich, twowritehands, Virgoleo23, Waffles Of Doom, WhiteKnightro, Wicked Allurement, xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.  
>The Cabal authors produce the best.<p>

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial


	3. Beaches, Meatloves, And First Dates Part

Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates Part 1

The first night of summer break and as always Sam slept over at Carly's. She actually had more stuff at Carly's than she did at her house. In truth Sam lived at Carly's and would spend the night at home a few times a year. Her mom wasn't really a bad person per say, she just had the maternal instincts of a crocodile. She tried but she just wasn't able to be that person, and Sam had come to terms with that and had accepted that things were how they were.

To her surprise, Sam woke up early, seven-thirty and on a Saturday no less, with the dream from the night before still vivid in her mind.

She was standing on a beach and except for the crash of the waves it was quiet and peaceful. She had no idea how she got there, or even where there was, but there she was. She felt the presence of someone long before she noticed anyone standing there. She turned slowly, she wasn't afraid because she knew nothing would harm her, and saw Will standing at her extreme right. She smiled, but didn't move. She raised her hand to wave and he waved back.

She was about to walk toward him when she could feel someone to her left. Once again there was no fear as she turned and saw… well she was unsure of what she saw. She knew it was a man, she could see his body quite clearly, but the face was lost in a swirl of mist or fog, almost becoming visible then the swirl would cover it up again.

She stood between the two and couldn't move at all. She wanted to walk to Will, who was waving at her to come to him, but the other figure to her left, not saying or doing anything, seemed like a magnet and she felt like steel being attracted to the unknown man. She stood in place, moving her head from side to side like she was watching a tennis match, unable to choose, and then she woke up.

Sam stretched and slipped on her house shoes and grabbed her robe as she headed downstairs. She was in one of the best moods she had ever been in. Will had stirred something in her that she had never known. Most boy, Freddork being one of them, always went for Carly and left Sam with the crumbs, the bums, the freaks, and the geeks. But Will was different, he asked HER out and had even gone to Freddie for advice about what she liked and didn't like. It made her feel important and special.

The only surprise she had was that Freddie had talked her up so well. He could have shot her down in flames, and the way she did him sometimes, she wouldn't have blamed him, but instead he did her a real solid and somewhere deep down inside of her a little warm spot was reserved for the nub. She really didn't hate him, as a matter of fact she thought of him as one of her best friends, but she would never tell him that because he'd blow it all out of proportion and then she'd have to smack him.

Twenty minutes later the Shay apartment smelled of eggs, bacon, ham, and toast. Sam heard a knock at the door and opened it to see Freddie smile and preform an impression of a Looney Tunes character who is led by the smell of food.

"Wow, what kind of kiss did Will give you last night?" he asked as he stopped at the bar and sat down as Sam walked back to the kitchen and her cooking, "he's got you acting like Mrs. Cleaver this morning and so early at that. Sam, are you dreaming of a little house with a white picket fence and two-point-eight kids?"

He began to laugh and Sam whipped around, trying to look and sound mad, but the smile on her face told a different story, "Your ass is MINE!"

"Now Sam, what will the husband think if you beat up another man," Freddie now had tears coming out of his eyes as he laughed and ran from Sam and the impossibly big spatula she was swinging at his butt, "If you hurry I'll drive you over so you can serve him in bed like a good little wife."

"I'm gonna flip you like a flapjack when I catch you," but there was no menace only laughter and joy in the easy banter that was the cornerstone of their relationship and she was smiling from ear to ear as she swung the spatula and connected with the left butt cheek, causing Freddie to yelp and rub the cheek in question as he rounded the bar and stopped with Sam on the other side, snide grin in place.

They stared at each other for a second and Sam saw the idea the moment it popped into his head, "Don't even think it nub, don't even think it."

With the voice of a Bond villain, Freddie began to walk around toward her, "Oh it's much too late to stop it now princess, you will be punished," he raised one eyebrow as he finished the sentence.

"Freddie I'm not kidding, get away from me and let it go," the smile was still on her lips as she spoke.

Using his vampire voice now he grinned at her, "Mmm… I can taste your fear my dear," he walked closer, "and it tastes divine."

Sam bolted to the right and then spun to the left, but Freddie was ready for her and caught her and carried her over his shoulder to the couch where he pinned her down and began to tickle her without mercy.

The more she squirmed the more he tickled and they were both laughing hard. As they continued to wrestle around and laugh, they failed to notice the smoke coming from the kitchen, and then for a split second, so quick they both were unsure it had happened, their eyes locked and something that neither of them could describe passed between them and when the fire alarm went off it was gone.

Spencer was the first one into the room, robe flying behind him his Wonder Woman boxers and a t-shirt that said "I'd do her" becoming a blur as he slipped and slid into the kitchen head first with a mighty crash.

Sam and Freddie looked at each other again and began to laugh as hard as they could, Freddie rolling off the top of her and landing with a thud on the floor by the couch, as Carly stomped down the stairs like mother about to dole out the daily dose of punishment to her rowdy children.

"What in the HELL is going on down here?" she practically screeched as her head bobbed completing the picture in Sam's mind of a hen.

Sam looked at Freddie in the floor, and in that one millisecond of time the picture in her head flashed in his and they lost all control, laughing so hard they started to cough.

"What's so damn funny?" Carly was quite unaware of her actions and that made the head shaking and foot stomping even more funny to the duo. Sam began to hold her side as cramps from the laughter set in, and Freddie stuck his head under the couch laughing and curling into a fetal position, unable to stop.

"I'm all right, just bruised my hinny and maybe broke a few ribs," Spencer yelled from the kitchen floor.

Carly stomped her way to the kitchen causing Sam to roll off the couch and landing full force on Freddie's back, "Shit I think I pissed myself," she said as she was able to breath in fresh air.

"Ew, get off me then silent spring," Freddie bucked her off and stood up offering his hand to help her up. Once they were both standing they faced Carly again and bit down on their jaws so as not to laugh at her again.

Carly's hair was in wild disarray, looking like a bush that hadn't been trimmed in ages, giving her the look of someone who had stuck their finger in a light socket. Her face was beet red and her body was as ridged as a two by four and almost as deadly.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" she didn't look quite as funny now, a large wooden pizza board in her hand, eyes narrowed into slits, like a cat about to strike at a mouse.

"Frednerd started it," Sam protested.

"You're the one who came after me with a spatula," he countered.

"Well..."

"But you…"

"I…"

"I was…"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU," Carly screamed as they talked and argued, both speaking at the same time, "enough! It is eight o'clock in the morning, the first morning of summer break, and you two set the apartment on fire and wake ME out of a great dream about Dale, if I wasn't a lady I'd go Puckett on both your asses! Now sit down, away from each other, and let me see what is left of our kitchen. I didn't have time to look before."

Using her peripheral vision, honed to a sharp edge from years around the two of them, Carly saw that they were both smiling at each other and quietly laughing. She was confused by the sight, but not surprised. The long drawn out war that was "Sam & Freddie" had taken a sharp turn six or seven months before. There was no longer the acid and hemlock that had flowed between the two since grade school. They had become much closer and the fights were playful now and not mean and hurtful, in fact they seemed to go out of their way not to cause real harm to each other. Carly wondered to herself if perhaps her friends might be on the verge of something more than friendship sometimes, despite what they said or how they had both acted with Will and Tara last night. She was going to have to watch them this summer and see how this played out.

The kitchen really wasn't in that bad of a shape. Four bricks of charcoal that had once been bread stuck out of the toaster, but other than that everything was fine. What was strange was the large plates of bacon, eggs, ham, and toast that sat on the counter by the stove.

Carly turned and looked at Sam and the spatula in her hand. A look of surprised delight crossed her lips as she asked, "Sam, did you cook breakfast for everyone this morning?"

"No," Freddie slid away from Sam, "Mrs. Will Graham cooked it all and I'm gonna run her over so she can feed him in bed."

Sam turned red and spun around on Freddie, a beautiful smile etched on her face, and yelled, "I'll make your ass bleed, nub!"

Several minutes later the four of them sat down to eat, and to Carly's amazement, the two of them sat side by side and kept up the good natured ribbing.

'Do they even realize that they are flirting with each other, or that this is the happiest I've ever seen either of them in a long time?' she wondered as she ate and watched the show they were putting on.

She looked at Spencer and saw the same look on his face as she knew she had on hers. The look of watching something magical happening before their eyes, and Sam and Freddie seemed oblivious to it. Spencer mouthed a "what the hell is going on?" at her, and she shrugged her shoulders to indicate that she had no idea at all.

.

After they ate, Sam and Freddie cleaned up in a very domesticated looking picture that made Carly want to laugh. She knew as soon as Freddie left that she was going to grill Sam about the whole thing.

"Well gotta jet," Freddie announced after putting the last dish away, "I gotta change, make sure I have all the things I need to hook up Mrs. Langford's computer, and then swing by and pick up Tara. So are we gonna meet at the beach or the hot dog stand by the beach?"

"HOT DOG STAND," Sam yelled, pulling the matter off the table for discussion.

"Sounds like a "wiener" to me," Freddie laughed at his own joke as Sam made a retching sound and threw a dish towel at him.

"I owe you a thousand lashes nerd for that bit of cheese," Sam smiled and rolled her eyes as Carly just stared at them both.

"Oh my, a tongue lashing, what will the hubby have to say about that?" he raised his left eyebrow and stuck out his tongue at her before quickly ducking out the door.

"Your ass is my nub," Sam shouted and she plopped down on the couch beside Carly, laughing.

"Just what the hell is all this flirting between you and Freddie all about young lady," Carly poked Sam in the arm with a finger as she smiled.

"Shay, I do believe you have finally lost your freeking mind," Sam looked at her friend with a puzzled expression on her face, "What in the hell makes you think me and the nerd were flirting?"

"Oh I don't know," Carly began to tick reasons off on her hand, "I find the two of you on the floor in what could have only been a tickle war near the couch, you're both laughing like three year olds at something only you two know about, you're both joking with each other, you washed dishes together, which by the way you never washed dishes before in your life, and you sat by each other while you ate and both of you are all touchy feely with each other. Now I want to know, so I'll ask again, WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN YOU AND FREDDIE?"

Sam laughed and just shook her head at her friend and her lack of understanding, "Carl's there isn't anything going on with me and Freddie, ok. I really like this guy Will from last night. Freddie is, and if you repeat this they will only find bone fragments of you, a really good FRIEND! He's kind of like the mangy puppy in front of the Groovy Smoothie, annoying as hell at first, but as time goes by he becomes kind of cute and loveable and you find you miss him if he isn't around. Plus Freddie is fun to mess with, he gets me, well he gets us both, and well he's, remember my threat, cool. Last night Will asked him questions about me, and despite the fact that the nub won't tell me what he asked, Freddie did me a solid and talked me up to him. Let's face it he could have shot me down in flames if he wanted to, I would have been tempted to, but he didn't and that was very cool."

Carly just smiled and did her "sit-down" version of her happy dance as she sing-songed, "Aw, Sam thinks of Freddie as a good friend and that he's cool. You like Freddie; aw my little girl is growing up."

"Shay, I swear to God," Sam turned red as she reached for Carly, who was now off the couch and running into the kitchen, "they're gonna need those pans they use for gold prospecting to find bone fragments if you don't stop."

"He's… You're… FRIEND!" Carly pronounced the word friend like was a ten year old girl with a speech impediment as she dashed for the steps leading upstairs.

Sam gave chase yelling like she was talking to someone else, but really for Carly's benefit, "I swear officer the last time I saw her she was going to the store. No sir, that blood is from some hamburger meat I opened. Yes sir, I just planted this garden," she disappeared up the stairs as Spencer came out of his room looking around the apartment, "Did I hear someone talking to the police?"

.

Freddie stood in the bathroom of his room trying to decide if he should shave or not. He looked twelve when he did and looked much older with the slight stubble that missing a day or two gave him. He hadn't shaved the day before and since he was going to Melissa's tonight and set up their computer he wanted to look as good as possible and he had to admit that he looked better with the scruff than without it.

With his towel wrapped around his waist he walked from the bathroom to the chest of drawers and took out his red swimsuit. As he put it on he laughed at the fact that his chest was so hairy.

When he was eleven he had noticed one day that he had hair growing in several places. He found stuff that explained most of it, but could find nothing on chest hair. His father had died when he was very young, so he had no male figure to ask about it, so being afraid that it wasn't normal he had shaved his chest, cutting it in several places including the nipple. Less than three days later the hair had come back even thicker and in a much wider pattern. Finally after noticing that her razors were being used at an alarming rate his mother confronted him about it and he spilled the beans. She had laughed for quite a while before explaining that it was normal for that to happen and that his father had had a hairy chest also.

He still felt self-conscious about it because most guys on T.V. and in the movies seemed to be hairless and he figured women must not like a hairy man.

He walked back to the bathroom and put some deodorant, after-shave, and cologne on and then went and slipped his favorite "Hard To Die" t-shirt on and sat on the bed to slip on his dive shoes (No open toed shoes while Marissa Benson was on duty) and grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out the door to go and pick up his new friend Tara. He had his beach towel over his shoulder, sunscreen in his pocket, and the old tune "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood in his brain and on his lips as he did a little dance and sang waiting for the elevator. No one knew he sang or danced very much because he usually only did them when he was alone. No one knew that sometimes he would talk out dialog to stories that no one knew he wrote. He would talk for all the characters. It was a habit he had picked up as an only child. In order to play anything he would have to play all the parts.

Freddie wasn't like most people; he was comfortable being alone with himself. Not that he like being alone all the time but, he was ok with being alone. It was that reason that he had always been able to march to his own beat and not give two hoots in hell what someone thought. Despite being a "nerd" or a "nub", as Sam called him, he got along with most people and had very little trouble getting to know new people.

He was singing so loud and dancing with his back to the elevator, that he never heard the ding or the doors open with Melissa standing there, gardening tools in hand. She wanted to laugh, but was afraid it would hurt his feelings. It crossed her mind that her sixteen years old sister would make a great match for him, but she figured pretty quickly that it would be awhile before she could introduce them. She just watched, holding the door open, and grinned.

"Roll with it baby, yeah just roll with me baby, un huh just rooooo….." he spun around and found himself looking into the smiling face of Melissa, "oooolllllll."

'Great, why not just wear a Bennie with a propeller on it and play the accordion while I slap my knees together to play the cymbals,' he thought to himself as his face went beat red.

"Do you take requests," Melissa asked as the giggle she had fought to keep down finally broke free.

Despite the embarrassment he felt, he began to laugh and as best as he could recover some of his dignity and pride, "We should never speak of this."

"Ah, the old Jedi mind trick, nice save," she laughed.

"Help me Obi Wan Kenobi you're my only hope," Freddie smiled as he entered the elevator and some of the red began to fade from his face, "Where have you been?"

"I got permission to start a little garden up on the roof," she said as the doors closed, "You can take the girl from the farm, but you can't take the farm from the girl or something like that. We really didn't farm, we raised horses, but I couldn't get a barn on the roof, so I went with the garden. Someone is going to the beach I see."

"Yeah, Carly, Sam and these two guys they met at the party last night are going with me and this girl Tara I met last night."

"Oh my, a summer time romance maybe?" she elbowed him.

"Naw, just a really sweet and cute girl who's down on herself because of her weight and the way people overlook her," he wanted to be sure and let Melissa know he was "unencumbered " with female companionship for the summer, "We're just good friends and I'm just going to help get her out of her shell. She deserves better than she's getting, you know?"

"That's sweet of you Fred, but don't forget to have some fun for yourself," she touched his arm, sending a good shock all through his body and running directly to his crotch, and smiled at him, I'll see you at five I guess?"

"Yes mam…," he started to say but she shook her head no.

"I'm far too young to be a mam Fred; I'm only twenty-three. Call me Melissa, please."

"Yes ma… Melissa, I'll be there at five on the dot."

She smiled and chuckled, again sending electricity through his whole body, again, "Have a good time Fred."

The door closed and he began to think about things he shouldn't be thinking about when thinking about a married woman.

A smile crept across his face as he smelled the air and her scent. He suddenly felt invincible and happier than he ever had before in his life. He began to do another favorite pastime of his, changing lyrics to songs to fit his mood.

"I'm here to tell you right now, that girl knows how, she's got a nice rack baby, she gave me wood that way," he sang as he left the elevator and walked through the lobby, Lewbert screaming about noise and scuff marks on his floor. Freddie, riding high on the waves of young love and optimism that the whole world was going to open up for him, turned around at the mid-point of the lobby and very un-Freddie like, flicked off Lewbert with both hands as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Suck it Lewbert, SUCK IT!"

Lewbert sat down, stunned that Freddie of all people did that to him. Freddie turned around and began to walk out again as he began to sing, "I'm here to tell you right now, that girl knows how, she's got nice rack baby, she gave me wood that way."

.

Sam stepped out of the bathroom with a purple one piece on that accentuated the curves that she had acquired over the year. Despite her tomboy ways, her body had become very womanly over the year. She had started the school year at a small c-cup, but now was almost out of the c and about to move into a d. Even Freddie had admitted to her that her ass was smoking hot and her days of playing second fiddle to Carly or any other girl was over. Her problem was she didn't believe it, at least till last night when Will had asked her to dance. She had felt a very funny feeling in her stomach when they touched and talked, a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on. She found herself almost giddy at the prospect of spending the day with him.

"You look fantastic Sam," Carly said as she walked out of her changing area in a neon pink two-piece. Carly had gained some height over the school year and had a great pair of legs, but the one thing she wanted more than anything she had not gotten, bigger breast. She had just barely enough to be a small b-cup and it bothered her greatly. Sam's had grown large and had filled out quite a bit and Carly had begun to feel that she would never fill out at all. Still, she was in a great mood because she had a beach date with Dale Watson and both her friends were joining her and they had dates as well.

Just as Sam was about to say something Spencer yelled from downstairs, "Carly, Carly!"

"What's up?" Carly yelled back at him.

"I'm making a sculpture out of bat guano; can you run and get the mail? I'm expecting a check today."

"You're making a sculpture out of bat shit?"

"Don't judge me!"

"Sure I'll go," Carly said as she put her robe on and headed downstairs.

Before she even reached the landing she was smacked in the face by the rankest smell she had ever smelled. He gag reflex kicked in and she worried she'd yack on the steps.

As she buried her nose in her robe she yelled, "Jesus Spencer, it smells like a sewer down here!"

"That's why I wear this mask."

"I love you Spencer with all my heart, but literally that shit has got to be out of this place before we get back from the beach and I mean it."

"But Carly," Spencer started to say, only to be silenced by Carly as she interrupted him shaking her head.

"Out before we get back from the beach," she then spun around and left to get the mail.

When the elevator doors opened Carly nearly fainted. Inside was the new doctor that had moved into the building seven months ago, Trent. He and his wife Gale and their three year old son Max had moved from Ohio to Seattle. Carly would babysit for them sometimes and she had a major crush on Dr. Tom.

"Well hello Carly," he smiled and Carly felt like an eight year old girl crushing on her teacher, "I'm glad I ran into you. Gale is going on a three month mission with Doctor's Without Boarders starting Monday, would you be able to babysit Max some this summer, I'm not talking every day or anything like that, just on some of the nights I'm on call at the hospital and maybe a few days here and there?"

"I'd love to Dr. Trent," she smiled at him and absently twirled some of her long dark hair, "just let me know."

"Thanks Carly, you're a lifesaver," he said as he pulled her into a friendly hug just as the doors opened to the lobby.

As Dr. Trent walked out the front door Carly stared at him and felt a wave of what she could only believe was arousal for him. She stood there watching and thinking thoughts she shouldn't about the married doctor till the door began to close and snapped her out of it and she jumped through and headed the mailbox shaking her head, like a dog shakes itself to get water off of it, trying to get the thoughts to go away. They didn't.

.

Freddie pulled up in front of Tara's house and walked up to the door and knocked. When the door opened a woman who looked like she was in her late forties answered the door. Her dark hair was sprinkled with bits of gray here and there. She had small wrinkles around her lips that came from a long time smoking habit and little crow's feet around her eyes from working to many summers in a garden. She stood no taller than five feet and looked to weight two hundred to two hundred and twenty pounds, though it was hard to tell with the large housecoat she wore.

"Yes," she said in a raspy voice that sounded full of phlegm.

"I'm Freddie Benson ma'am and I'm here to pick Tara up for a day at the beach."

"Well come on…" she launched into a cough that sounded like a death rattle for about ten seconds and then spoke again, "Sorry about that. You don't smoke do you young man?"

"No ma'am I don't."

"Good, those things will kill you," she smiled at him as she reached in a pocket and pulled a Pell Mell cigarette and lit it, "Come on it, she'll be down in a minute. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No thank you ma'am," Freddie said and sat on the couch in the living room she walked him to.

"Sorry my husband isn't here to meet you, but he's a contractor and he had to work," she told him as he watched her take a drag off the cigarette and seconds later blow some of it out through her nose. The whole house had a slight haze from the smoke and the smell was almost more than he could handle.

At the sounds of someone coming down the stairs he turned his head and saw Tara standing at the bottom of the stairs. She had an oversized looking robe on with flip-flops and a Drake and Josh beach towel over her shoulder. She looked nervous and kept looking down at the floor.

Freddie stood up and walked over to her and with his index finger raised her chin up till she was looking him in the eyes.

"You look great," he smiled at her, "I'll be the envy of every guy on the beach."

"I doubt that very seriously," Tara tried to look down, but Freddie held her head up.

"I don't," he smiled, "you'll turn heads, trust me."

He kissed her cheek very lightly, her face turning bright red, and turned around to say bye to Tara's mom, she was lighting another Pell Mell with the butt of the one she had been smoking, and they left.

"So, you ready to hit the beach and have some fun?" Freddie asked as they pulled out from her street and headed to toward the beach.

"Yes and no," she said as she held her left hand out the rolled down window and making her hand look like a wave in the wind, "I excited to spend the day with you guys because let's face it, I don't have much… any social life, but I'm not excited about the idea of being laughed at because I'm fat."

"Well first off no one is going to laugh at you and if they do, I'll let Sam beat them to a pulp," he said with his eyes still on the road, but still able to see the grin spread across her face out of the corner of his eye, "and secondly you're not fat…"

She cut him off in a gentle low tone that spoke volumes about the hurt she had endured over the years, "I know, big boned, full figured, stout, more of me to love, more cushion for the pushing, and others I can't think of at the moment," she said as she studied the side of his face, "their all just fancy ways to call me fat. I rather be called fat than of those other names, at least it's honest. Most guys just see the fat and never look any further than that."

"Not me, I could care less about weight," as they stopped at a red light he turned to face her, "I like a woman who knows what she wants and is willing to ask for it, a woman who doesn't have to have all the flashy stuff and is happy eating a hamburger once and a while instead of steak every meal, someone who listens to me and really wants to be with me for me and not what I can do for them, someone who understands that sometimes you don't have to talk you can just sit together holding hands and cuddle, oh and of course she has to have massive breast."

Tara eyes got as large as plates at the last part of the statement, shocked till she noticed that Freddie was fighting a mighty battle not to laugh, a battle he was rapidly losing, and she began to chuckle which led to giggles and eventually between the two of they laughed through a green light, much to the displeasure of the three cars behind them.

"Now that's more like it," Freddie said after the laughter died down, "You're really quite beautiful when you laugh and let go of all the self-doubt, did you know that?"

Tara's face, already red from the laughter, turned purple and her eyes watered up some, "N… no one but my dad has ever told me I'm beautiful before," she spoke in an almost whisper and reached out and touched his shoulder as some of the tears rolled down her face, "Thank you. Are you sure that there's no chance for us to get together?"

"I'm not saying never," he touched her left hand with his right, "but like I said, my head is somewhere else right now and it wouldn't be fair to you. I want to hang out with you and stuff, but you deserve someone who is focused on you and I'm just not there right now. Does that make any sense at all?"

"Like I told you last night, I understand, but also like I told you last night, I'm going to do my best to make you fall in love with me. Is that ok with you?"

"Just don't get hurt, I'd hate myself if I caused you any pain," he said as he decided he needed to come clean about "The Plan" Brad had cooked up, "Please don't hate me for this, but Brad came up with this stupid contest about losing our virginity over the summer and that's why he brought us over to meet you guys. I know it's a shitty thing to do and if you want to slap me you have every right to and I wouldn't blame you in the least."

"Yeah, I know, Linda did the same thing with Sally and me," she said with an almost four year olds "I got caught" look on her face, "and well your friend Gibby isn't the brightest bulb in the pack, he told Sally and didn't even know he had. Why would I be mad at you about that, I mean you told me the truth last night when, and let's be honest here, when I would have jumped you in the middle of the floor at the party. So I figured that you weren't setting out to win that bet."

"Nope, I'm not," he smiled.

"We also have a side bet on who's bigger."

Freddie frowned, "You can see whose bi… oohh… oohh… ok. I didn't know girls did stuff like that."

"Sure we do," she smiled at him, "we just cover our pervert ways so much better than boys do. We talk about size…"

"Size, you talk about size?" he asked nervously.

"Oh yeah," she began, "we talk about all kinds of nasty stuff when boys aren't around. You'd be surprised and probably shocked."

"I probably would," Freddie grinned as he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tara was looking at his package.

.

As Carly watched "Girly Cow" Sam sat at the computer idly looking up different ways to cook and serve pork products. She had just hit print, for bacon wrapped pork chop and ham casserole, when someone knocked at the door. Despite herself Sam, now with a white sundress on over the purple suit, sprang up and started to run for the door till she saw Carly grinning at her, and then slowed down and walked. Will had called twenty minutes earlier and said he was on his way.

Sam was really confused and conflicted about how she felt. Will had tapped into some part of her psyche and unleashed the girly-girl part of her brain. She was anxious to see him and spend the day with him. The butterflies were swarming in her stomach and as much as she hated feeling and acting like that, she was powerless to stop it, and in some ways she didn't want to. She wanted to look good for him and more than anything she wanted another kiss from him, a longer and deeper kiss.

She stopped at the door and without knowing she was doing it, ran her hands through her hair to be sure it was in good shape. She also didn't see Carly's mouth fall open at that or the near laugh that followed.

Sam opened the door and felt the butterflies take flight as she looked up at Will's green eyes and his bright charming smile. He had a green swimsuit on and a penny-tee that said "Duck Off" with a picture of a duck in beach cloths.

"Hey Sam, how ya doing this morning," Will opened his arms and gave Sam a slightly longer hug than he had the night before, and seemed to be about to kiss her, but stopped before he did.

Sam was surprised at how disappointed she was that he hadn't kissed her, but she managed to keep it hidden, "I'm so ready to hit the beach and have a nice day in the sun."

"Well then let's go," he smiled at her, "I want ta swing by a quick mart and pick us up some cold drinks. I hear the hotdog and burger stand has great food, but the dude is a down right thief for what he charges for drinks, at least that's what Wendy said."

"You are correct sir," Sam used her "game show host" voice, "Two bucks for a can of soda. If the food wasn't so good I'd burn the place down myself."

"Wow, Freddie was right," Will chuckled, "I never want to get on your bad side."

"Oh he did, did he, "Sam smiled at Will, "what else did the soon to be late Mr. Benson tell you?"

"Let me see," he rubbed his chin, "that you were super cool, funny as hell, a great friend and loyal as hell. Oh and he said to be sure and watch my food carefully or it might grow legs and walk away."

Sam smiled as she thought of all the times she had begged, borrowed, or just flat out stole Freddie's food. As she flashed through the memories of that, another tiny wisp of a thought flew by her. She saw a much younger self and Freddie kissing as they sat on the fire escape. She didn't know why, but it memory spread a warmth throughout her body and she lost herself in it for a few seconds before shaking her head and coming back to the present.

"Only the meat products, only the meat products," she replied.

"Shall we go madam, your chariot awaits," Will bowed down as he opened the door, using a truly horrible English accent.

"To market to market to buy a fat pig, and whatever you guys want to eat also," Sam wiggled her eyebrows as she walked through the door.

Before Will shut the door he looked at Carly and told her that he had seen Dale pulling into the parking lot as he came up, and then he closed the door. Carly got up and grabbed her beach bag and for just a second thought about Dr. Trent, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Like before she shook her head to blast the thought out of her mind, and like before it didn't help.

.

.

.

Well there you have it, I'm still setting the stage here, but it's my hope to give everyone a full blown story with this story. Lots more to come, so stick around and drop me a line and let me know what you think.

.

.

Read

~The CABAL~

aussiemma, axel100, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Coyote Laughs, iCabal, ItalianBabexo8, JamesTheGreater, KeyLimePie14, KingxLeon21, Moviepal, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, Pieequals36, pigwiz, PsychoticAppleSauce, Rhiabrey Skye, sidouxamer, Tech-Man, The Earl of Sandwich, twowritehands, Virgoleo23, Waffles Of Doom, WhiteKnightro, Wicked Allurement, xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.

The Cabal authors produce the best.

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial


	4. Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates Pa

Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates Part2

.

AN= I know this and the other chapters have been long, but I ask you to stick with me, I really am feeling this story and hope to do some special things with it. So read on and discover, PLEASE!

Dale found himself bouncing just a little bit as he rode the elevator up to Carly's floor. He was nervous, but in a good way. He was surprised that Carly had turned out to be so down to earth and accessible, seeing that she was a web star and all. He quickly cupped his hand in front of his mouth and huffed out a breath, just to make sure it didn't stink and then did the "pit sniff" just to be sure and settled back into his nervous bounce.

Dale Watson wasn't a football player, a brain, or anything that made him stand out, but all his life girls had flocked to him. When he was younger it had been a curse to have the little girls follow him around because girls were icky and had cooties. When he reached ten years old something magical happened and cooties gave way to boobies and suddenly having girls following him around wasn't so bad. He shot up to the height he was now, five-eleven and a half, which made him the tallest boy in class, at age twelve and his voice got a rich baritone sound that seemed to drive girls wild. He was always careful about how he treated the girls he dated, his mother had drilled into his head the way a gentleman should act around a lady, and he had dated some truly nice girls.

Lately he had begun to feel like he was more of an accessory on the arms of the last two girls he had dated than a boyfriend. He had started the year with Kate, but had quickly soured on her constant need to be at the hippest party or seen at the newest restaurant. She would always plan the night in advance and on more than one occasion she had picked out what he wore, so they would match. The whole thing had come to a head at Tommy James's New Year's Eve party. He had caught her talking to some of her friends about how she had him "under her thumb" and how he would "never do anything that she didn't want him too!" He promptly stood in front of her and her friends and broke up with her, which he was sure she had not wanted him to do, and felt better about himself than he had in months.

Just before Valentine's Day, Jackie had begun to show up, always somewhere close to him. She would be in gym when he was there, outside classes as he would leave, "The Groovy Smoothie" when he would enter or leave, so he naturally began to talk to her, and at first things went great. He was pleased with the way they were headed, till he found out she was using him to climb the social ladder in school. It seemed that by dating him she could get asked to all the cool parties and stuff, and because he was a gentleman she didn't have to put out to get there. The thing that had really hurt him was the fact that she was putting out for everyone but him while they had been dating. He broke up with her the Friday night before prom and ended up going stag.

He stopped himself at Carly's door and did his usual pre-date ritual, shook his entire body and blew out three breaths, and then knocked on the door.

.

Carly was lost in the thought of Dr. Trent, Tom, slowly and passionately kissing her as he ran his hands through her hair, when the knock on the door jarred her from the fantasy and back to the present. She jumped at the sound and then she took a quick look in the mirror by the door to see how she looked.

'You look like a girl who's daydreaming about a very married older man while she has a date with one of the cutest and nicest guys you've met in a long, long time,' she thought as she tried to lose the thoughts of Tom from her mind, 'What would the world think if they knew that the "iCarly" girl was thinking about getting it on with an older married man? Never mind that, what would Spencer say if he found out about it?'

She wacked the side of her head with the palm of her hand, like she was trying to dislodge the thoughts from her mind and plastered her patented "Carly" smile on her face and opened the door. She was greeted by the dazzling smile of Dale, and at least for the moment Tom Trent vanished from her mind, and "smile" faded into a very real expression of joy.

"Wow," Dale said as he took in the sight of Carly in her pink suit with the white shear sundress she wore over it, "Y…you look hot…ea…I mean beautiful," his face quickly went maroon at his slip of the tongue.

Carly smiled and looked down at her pink toenails, twisting a strand of hair around her index finger before she looked up at him and flashed a smile that put the sun to shame, "Thanks Dale."

She looked at him, in his brown trunks and black mesh shirt that showed of his tanned, smooth, and hairless chest, and felt the little "fangirl" side of her begin to do a little happy dance in her mind.

'God, he's so damn hot, I want to just rub myself all over him,' she thought as she tried to say anything, her eyes roaming his body like Sam at a meat counter.

"You look great too," she finally managed to say after several seconds.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"You betcha," she grinned and threw her keys in her bag and yelled to Spencer, "Spencer, Dale and I are leaving to go to the beach."

Spencer opened the door to his room and the awful stench of bat guano escaped the room like wave, destroying the mood of the two teens, "Be careful you two," he rounded the corner, bat guano covering almost every part of his body.

Carly quickly brought her left arm up to cover here nose and mouth as she screamed and her eyes tiered up, "Christ Spencer," she fought the urge to vomit, "I told you to get that shit out of here. If it's still here when I get back I swear to God I'll let Sam loose on you with her butter sock. Do you hear me?"

"But Carly," Spencer started to say.

"Not another word Spencer," Dale had retreated to the semi-safety of the hallway and at least a crosswind of fresh air as Carly backed out, "get that shit out of here or Sam and her butter sock will beat your ass!"

She slammed the door and bent down, her hands on her knees, gulping the semi-fresh air of the hall and wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"Oh my God Dale, I'm so sorry about that and my idiot brother," Carly managed to get out as the two of them made it to a window and fresh air, "Are you alright?"

After three gagging motions and two deep breaths Dale turned to her, "What in the hell was that?"

"My brother, Spencer, he's an artist," she looked at and shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed.

"Really?" Dale said, much more sarcastically than he met for it to sound.

"Spencer is … well Spencer is special."

"Oh, is he like a savant or something?"

"No, no more like a dipshit," she smiled at him, "But he is a really cool brother… I mean when he's not playing with shit."

Dale began to shake and choke for a second before he lost control and began to laugh, a deep rumble of laughter that seemed to come from the bottom of his feet and out through his mouth, bending himself over, hands on his knees.

Carly was laughing also, but at the same time thinking about how sexy his laugh was and how handsome it made him.

After the laughter died down they went to the elevator, pushing the down button and engaging in random chit-chat till it arrived.

As they stepped off the elevator and into the lobby, Lewbert screaming into the phone on his desk about something neither of them could make out, they ran into Dr. Trent coming in the building.

"Say thanks again Carly for agreeing to babysit for me this summer; Gale was so relieved to know that Max would be in good hands," he told her.

"Happy to help," Carly said with a half "moony" school girl blush on her face.

As the doctor continued past them Carly felt a warm sensation flash throughout her body and the mental picture of the two of them locked in a passionate embrace filled her thoughts. She couldn't understand why this was happening to her or how to turn it off, but she knew she should, after all he was married, over half her age, and she had the beginnings of something good going on with Dale. DALE!

"What, I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked as she suddenly realized he had been talking while she was lost in her little "crush" zone.

"I said that it's nice of you to babysit form them so they can go out,"

"Oh," Carly shook her head, "no. You see Mrs. Trent is going on a mission trip for Doctors Without Borders this summer and they want me to watch Max, their son, on the days that Mr. Trent has to work late or is on call."

"Still, that's nice of you," he smiled at her and took her hand as they kept walking to his car.

'She sure did seem to fawn over that Trent guy," he thought as he opened the car door for her and then shut it and walked around to get in himself, "ah, probably just my imagination.'

He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot heading to the beach.

.

.

By a quarter after ten the three couples were standing in front of the snack stand, Will carrying a large cooler with iced down sodas and water, Sam with a volleyball, Freddie and Tara each carrying a bag of snacks, Carly had a huge blanket under her arm, and Dale had a Frisbee and a cordless ipear dock so they could play music.

It didn't take them long to find a spot to "set up camp" as the beach was only about half full. Once they laid everything out they all decided to hit the water first. Dale and Will slipped off their flip-flops and then removed their shirts. Both boys were very well toned and had a little bit of a tan already. While Dale had no hair except for a small trail under his bellybutton, Will had some at the top of his chest and some just at the top of his bellybutton and below it. Both boys drew appreciative glances from up and down the beach and from Sam, Carly, and Tara.

Tara removed her robe and showed her turquoise one piece. She was easily a d-cup or larger and had thick thighs and legs, but with her hair down and loose like she wore it today and the new confidence that Freddie was instilling in her, she looked breathtaking. She turned almost purple when Freddie, Will, and Dale whistled at her.

Sam and Carly removed their sundresses and flip-flops and the whole group turned and looked at Freddie, who still had not removed his shirt or dive shoes.

"What?" he turned around to look behind him and then back to face them again.

"Time to strip nub," Sam smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah … um I think you need to remove the shirt, ducky," Will said with a slight lisp, putting his hands on his hips in a most feminine manner.

Dale struck the same pose and just stared at Will, "Bitch, I saw him first. Don't make me yank that weave off your head sweetie."

"I'm not that kind of girl," Freddie said as he unfolded his towel to cover himself up.

"Bullshit," Sam said and stepped forward and snatched the towel away from him.

Freddie shrieked like a girl and pretended to cover his chest and private parts.

"Come on Fredturd, off with it so we can hit the water," she laughed.

There was only one cloud visible in the sky and at the very moment that Freddie removed his shirt it passed over the sun in such a way that it caused a sunburst around him which caused the women, from all over the beach, to do double takes and risk whiplash to get a look.

Tara felt her knees try to buckle at the sight of his toned and tanned hairy chest and chiseled muscular arms. She felt a heat travel through her body and found herself unable to speak at all.

Carly and Sam just stood stunned at the sight of their shirtless friend.

"When… when… when…," Carly tried to say.

Sam slapped the side Carly's head, like she was trying to get a cd to quit skipping.

"Thank you," Carly said, never looking at her friend, "When the hell did he grow up and turn into that?"

"Damned if I know," Sam just stared at Freddie, forgetting everyone and everything around her, as a strange feeling of pure lust took hold of her, "but the nub done grown up real nice and sexy. Momma likes."

"What did you say Sam?" Carly asked her.

Sam suddenly realized that she must have spoken out loud and that Will, HER DATE WILL, was very close by and said, "I said well alright let's hit the water."

The six of them took off toward the water and dove into the surf. After several minutes of swimming, the couples began an old fashion game of "splash" that quickly became a battle of the sexes. There was no clear winner, but from the laughter and smiles as they left the water and headed for the towel, no one cared.

Tara marveled at how free and unconcerned she was with her weight. No one had laughed at her, in fact they had whistled at her and Freddie had several times taken her hand as they walked. She even caught Sam's date Will looking at her chest in an approving manner. She had never in her life felt so accepted and carefree. She watched Freddie and the guy's head to the stand to get hot dogs and hamburgers for them, and found herself wondering what it would feel like to really kiss him and feel his hands on her body. She wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over his body. She wanted to run her hands through his chest hair and lay her head on the soft hair and hear his heart beat as she traced circles over his chest and stomach. She wanted to run her hand down inside of his swimsuit and graze her hand over…

"Honey, if you were a guy, you would have a huge woody going on right now," Sam whispered in her ear and giggled in a most unSam like fashion.

Blushing at being caught in a nasty fantasy, Tara rolled over and covered her face as she laughed, "Oh my God! Was I that obvious?"

Sam laughed and good naturedly shook Tara's shoulders, "You practically had him undressed and were humping him."

All three girls were laughing now and Tara leaned in and whispered, "Is he always so… so… oh who am I kidding here, is he always so charming and sexy?"

Carly and Sam looked at each other and the telepathy flowed between them and then they both turned and looked at Tara.

"Yes is the answer to your first question," Carly answered.

"And we had no idea is the answer to the second question," Sam answered, "Freddie is, and if either of you tell him I said this I'll be forced to bet the shit out of you, a great guy Tara. He cares about his friends and would do anything for them, he doesn't judge people by how they look, he judges people by how they act, and if you're worried about him doing this as some kind of prank to make fun of you or hurt you, don't because he would never do that to anyone, even me and let's face it I deserve it after the things I've done to him over the years. He likes you or he wouldn't be asking you to join us."

Tara nodded at Sam and smiled, "I know, He told me last night that liked me, but he had a crush on someone right now and wasn't looking to "go steady" at the moment."

"He said he had a crush on someone?" Sam raised her eyebrow as she asked, "Did he say who?"

Tara decided that she probably shouldn't have said anything about it, so she just shook her head and said, "No he didn't. Listen; please don't say anything to him about this. I kind of think he told me in private and maybe I shouldn't have told you guys."

"We won't say a word," Carly and Sam told her.

"Thanks," Tara relaxed a little, "I did tell him that I was going to try to make him fall in love with me. Do you guys think I have any chance in hell of doing that?"

Sam smiled at her, "It's possible, just don't get hurt if it doesn't."

"That's what he said."

As the conversation went on something kept gnawing at Sam's brain, 'Who the hell is the nub crushing on?' she thought as she drifted out of the conversation and into her own mind, 'I know for a fact he hasn't been crushing on Carly in a long time. I haven't seen him around anyone but Carly, Tara, and me, did he see someone out sometime when he was alone, and why do I care at all?'

"Sam, earth to Sam," Carly shook Sam's shoulder and snatched her back to the beach, "We asked you how things were going for you and Will."

"Oh, sorry kind spaced out for a minute," Sam grinned at them, "Will is different from the guys I've dated, he's nice. He listens to me and he makes me laugh, almost as much as Freddie does. He also happens to be HOT! I mean you saw him, Fr…Will when he took his shirt off, I really want this to work out."

While Tara didn't hear Sam's slip, Carly didn't miss a thing.

'I knew it,' Carly thought, 'Sam can lie to everyone, including herself, but not to me. Something is going on between the two of them and I don't think they know it.'

The guys came back with the burgers and dogs and the six of them sat and ate and talked about the trivial things that make life so fun when you are young. After they finished they split into teams, Freddie, Tara, and Carly on one team and Will, Dale and Sam on the other, and started to play touch football. In reality five played touch football, Sam played no holds barred, balls to the wall rugby. She tackled, tripped, stiff armed, pounded, and otherwise dominated everyone, even her own team. It got so bad that the game morphed into a game of tag, or with Sam playing, "Please don't hurt me, I think I'm a bleeder".

The day turned out to be a perfect summer Saturday and time flew by. Freddie looked at his watch and saw that it was a quarter of four and stood up and offered his hand to help Tara get up.

"This has been great guys," he smiled, "but I promised that lady I'd get her computer hooked up and working so she could video chat with her husband tonight. Maybe we should do this again next Saturday."

They all agreed and made plans to do just that. Freddie took Tara's hand and carried her bag as they walked to his car.

"Did you have a good time today?" he asked her.

Tara smiled up at him and walked a little closer to his side, her hand flexing with his, "It was the second best day of my life, the best day was yesterday when I met you."

Freddie let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you," he said, "now didn't I tell you no one would make fun of you?"

"Oh I bet someone probably laughed at me, but I didn't hear them or care," she chuckled, "By the way, that whistle I got from you guys, now that has never happened to me before. I liked that a lot. Feel free to whistle at me anytime you like."

"With pleasure," he smiled as he took his arm from around her shoulder, "and by the way, from this angle, I can totally see down your swimsuit, very nice boobies you have."

He took off like he was shot out of a cannon, running towards the car and laughing. Tara blushed and took off after him giggling, "You are so dead you pervert."

By the time they reached the car both of them were out of breath and laughing. They loaded the stuff in the trunk and then Freddie opened the car door for her and helped her in. After he got in and started the car she leaned over toward him and said, "Any chance I can see if I win the bet about the size?"

It was now Freddie's turn to blush. He spoke sounding like girl, "Honey you got to put a ring on it if you want to see, this cow don't milk for free."

They both laughed hard and began to just chat and sing along to the songs on the radio. Both of them were amazed at how natural and easy it felt hanging out together.

It was four-ten when he pulled into her driveway and after helping her out of the car he walked her to the porch of her house. She turned around and looked up into his eyes and he saw that she was misty eyed as she took both his hands into hers.

"Thank you," she whispered, "I've never had this much fun in my life, ever," she ran a hand on his cheek, "You made me feel special and pretty. No man, other than my father, ever made me feel pretty."

Freddie put his hand on top of hers and pulled it away from his face and kissed her palm, "You are special and pretty every day, you just don't see it because you look at yourself through other people's eyes instead of your own. Beauty shines out of you all the time, because you're a beautiful person. So would you like to go out to eat and see a movie tomorrow night at say six-thirty or so?"

Her face took on a glow that surprised Freddie with its brilliance as she smiled at him as she nodded her head yes.

"It's a date then, I'll call you tomorrow," he said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. She turned her cheek and their lips touched.

Tara wasn't sure if this was real anymore.

'Fat girls like me don't get attention, except the bad kind, from guys like Freddie. They don't get kisses, touches, doors held open for them, and they sure as hell never get second dates,' she thought as she melted away and into the kiss, 'he's not pulling away like he's disgusted or anything, oh what the hell.'

She opened her mouth a little and wiggled her tongue on his lips, which opened for her, and felt his tongue touch hers very softly.

'Ok, I'm on my front porch, with Freddie Benson's tongue in my mouth,' she thought, 'I'm gonna be really pissed if this turns out to be just a dream.'

After fifteen seconds, or twelve hours, she wasn't sure, the porch light flicked on and off signaling daddy was home and watching, 'Damn it daddy, go watch T.V. or something and let me make out with Freddie. A good thing he didn't come look ten seconds later because I was about to put Freddie's hand on my boobs and my hand on his "tallywacker", and that would have got us both killed,' she thought.

They broke from the kiss and Freddie smiled at her, "I don't think your father enjoyed that very much."

"Fuck 'em," she said in a low voice and giggled.

Freddie laughed, "I had a great time, but I'm afraid that I'm going to hurt you Tara. I mean nothing has changed for me yet, you know?"

"I know Freddie and I'm going to be ok," she touched his face again, "and I still intend to get you to fall for me."

He grinned and winked at her, "You just might, you just might."

The porch light flashed again and Freddie backed up, "I'll call you tomorrow, good night Tara."

He spun around and walked back to his car and drove off. He couldn't help but smile as he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Tara doing a happy dance on the porch.

.

.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Sam asked as Will drove her back to Bushwell, "I'm really sorry about your back."

"Sure I'm fine," he said with a groan, "you just don't see many roundhouse kicks when you're playing touch football, T.O.U.C.H. F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L.," he spelled the words out to her as he laughed, "Freddie said you were very competitive, he just didn't tell me HOW competitive you were."

"Yeah, momma doesn't like to lose," she grinned.

Will shot a sideways glance at Sam and marveled at his great luck in meeting Sam. He had had a few girlfriends in New Mexico, but none of them had been serious. A few make out sessions, first base, second base, and three times third base, but no further than that. When he and his parents moved to Seattle a month ago he had already finished school so he didn't have to go and had missed out on meeting people. He wasn't all that upset about the move because he would finally get his own room and his nuthug little brother would have one to, no more sharing.

Wendy had brought him to the party and then just left him to flounder on his own. He had spotted Sam right away and thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had figured that the way she was sitting with the boy that he now knew was Freddie and was talking and cutting up with him that they were a couple. They had looked and acted like one and he had figured that he was s.o.l. with her. He would be forever thankful that Carly had pushed Sam into him, because that had led to this, the two of them spending the day together.

"How does "momma" feel about getting some dinner tonight and maybe catching a movie?" he asked.

"Momma would be very open to that were she asked," she smiled and looked at his profile as he drove. She thought that he looked amazing. She had notice throughout the day that he would look at her and smile and would reach out and take her hand, which she had never been fond of in the past, but she found it most enjoyable with him. She found it easy to talk and cut up with him. She liked that she had a clean slate with Will; she knew that other than the things Freddie had told him and maybe Wendy, he didn't know her as the trouble maker who was once the delinquent of the month at the police station, they even had a cell that was fixed up just for her and she knew every policeman in the precinct by his first name and about their families. They had become her unofficial third family, behind her real family and Carly and Freddie.

She knew that nether Freddie or Wendy had brought out her more sordid past endeavors to Will and that made this a real chance for her to change and become more than the tomboy she had always been. She didn't want to be a girly-girl, all helpless and weak, handing over control to any guy, even someone as nice as Will, it just wasn't her, but she found herself wanting to soften up some, to show the side of her that loved her deranged cat and the mangy puppy that hung around "The Groovy Smoothie", the side that thought of Carly as a sister that she would die for, the side that felt like Freddie was an amazing man, not a boy or a nub, but a man who was seriously hot and sexy. She found herself more than surprised at the thought of Freddie as sexy, but she couldn't help but notice that he had become someone she could count on and who on more than a few occasions had gotten her motor running as of late.

She smiled at the thought and then frowned as she wondered why Freddie had popped into her head. She looked at Will and saw that he hadn't noticed the frown and brought the smile back. He was silently singing to the song "Poker Face" on the radio and she and it turned her smile into a silent laugh.

He turned and saw her and his face went red as his mouth stuck in the "po" of poker and he found himself unable to make it go away.

"I thought you didn't sing?" she tried not to laugh, failing miserably at the task, "I was wondering why the dogs along the streets were so upset."

"I wasn't singing, I was lip syncing, thank you very much," his face still red as a beat.

As if on cue, the sound of several dogs barking cut over the sound of the wind and the radio and both of them burst into laughter.

"Son-of-a-bitch, everyone's a critic," he said between laughs, as Sam began bouncing up and down in the seat, laughing till she snorted loudly, and then lost all control as tears flowed from her eyes.

Will pulled over into a grocery store parking lot and got control of himself. As the laughter stopped he reached out his right hand and placed it on her cheek, "I love the sound of your laughter," he spoke low and deep, "you light up the world when you laugh, do you know that?"

They both leaned into each other and when their lips touched they both felt the fireworks go off. Will pulled her closer with his right hand and they both sank into the kiss. Sam felt his tongue run along the grove between both lips and parted them to accept it. The kiss wasn't an animalistic one, but a slow sensual kiss that didn't feel or need to be rushed.

And then it was over, their lips separated and their foreheads touched as they opened their eyes and looked at each other.

"I' …, I uh…, wow," Will found himself unable to speak.

"Um, …, yeah," Sam smiled as they both sat upright in their seats and looked off into the distance at nothing and everything at once.

"So seven o'clock?" Will managed to sputter out.

"What, oh… um… yeah seven sounds good," Sam said as Will pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward Bushwell.

They were silent for the rest of the trip, each lost in the romantic fog of their kiss. Sam got out of the car when they arrived and told him not to get out, that she would be fine and see him at seven. She watched him drive away and noticed he stared at her in the rearview mirror as he went. She tried to wipe the silly, goofy smile that crept across her face off, but she couldn't. When Lewbert screamed at her as she walked in, Sam walked over to the desk and leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the non-wart side of his face as she said, "Aw, lighten up sunshine, it's summer and love is in the air."

She didn't stick around and see Lewbert grab his chest and fall over backwards with his feet sticking straight up in the air.

.

.

Carly and Dale stayed at the beach after everyone else left. They laid with his head beside her and his and her bodies facing different directions. If seen from the air, the position would have shown how close in height they were and how much they both were fighting the urge to touch the other.

"So your dad's in the Air Force, but he's stationed on a submarine?" Dale said to the small cloud that floated just inside his field of vision.

"Yeah, I've never quite understood that myself," Carly spoke to the same cloud as it entered her sight, "Every time I ask he tells me it's a military secret and just blows it off."

"That's kinda cool really," Dale smiled at the sky, "like he's James Bond or something. That would mean I'm at the beach with Bond's daughter," he sat up suddenly scanning up and down the beach.

Carly remained where she was, "What are you looking for?" she laughed.

"Agents of SPECTRE," he grinned before laying back down.

Carly laughed and playfully slapped his arm, feeling the charge of excitement pass between the two of them and left her hand on his arm, "You're so goofy."

They turned to face each other and found themselves looking at each other's lips first and then into each other's eyes. The charge passed between them again, only through the eyes and both swore that fireworks went off.

"This has been such a great day Carly," Dale touched her hand as it rested on his arm, "Lately I've felt more like an accessory, like a broach or shoes, than a boyfriend to the girls I've dated. They think that if they date me that it gets them into the upper list of the cool or something. Not a one of the seemed to give a rat's ass about me or how I felt. I mean I'm not just a popular guy, I like stuff and I really care about some things. I've got a great-granddad in a nursing home nearby, he lied and joined the Marines when he was sixteen during World War II and he's still as sharp as a tack. He tells the most amazing stories," Carly marveled at how bright his eyes became as he talked about his great-grandfather, and found herself desperately wanting to kiss him at that moment, "He's always wanting me to bring my girlfriend with me, but they would never come. I know it's not the trendy club or the best place to be seen, but that old man has stories that would blow your mind and he's funny as hell. If you want to spend time with the coolest guy ever, spend a day with my popie and you'll know what cool really is."

Carly just stared at Dale for a moment, the warm and fuzzy feeling in her stomach making her feel giddy and happy beyond belief, "I'd like to meet him," she smiled and brought her hand down to Dale's.

Dale smiled and squeezed her hand gently, "Really, you'd come with me on Sunday to go see him?" the light danced from his eyes like sparkles of moonbeams and his smile, Carly thought, put the sun to shame.

"Sure, you know how I feel about the military and those who serve or served," she almost wanted to cry as she saw the joy that danced in his eyes.

He leaned in closer to her, "Well that kind of brings up my next point," he touched her face, "I know it's too soon to ask you to be my girlfriend, but since you're going to meet my popie and all, would you like to go to dinner tonight and maybe see a movie or something. The Plaza Theater is running the pilot movie for the old T.V. show "It Takes A Thief", I watch that with my popie all the time, it's his favorite old show. Anyway, the Plaza is a great old forties type theater with balconies and they show cartoons and previews and old short subject movies just like they did in the forties and fifties. It's super cool and fun."

Carly leaned in closer to him and whispered, "Yes," as Dale leaned the rest of the way in and kissed her. Despite being upside down from each other, the kiss was a passionate one. Carly welcomed his tongue with her own and felt a charge as his hand touched the back of her head, deeping the kiss. For a few seconds the world disappeared and the two of them were the only people on the planet.

They broke the kiss and smiled as they stood and packed up and headed to the car to go back to Bushwell.

.

.

Carly watched Dale drive away and skipped into the lobby, prepared for the harangue Lewbert would rain down on her for skipping in his lobby. She stopped cold when she saw Spencer sitting behind the desk in Lewbert's jacket, the ancient C.B. radio that had almost got him killed, sitting on top of the desk as he worked setting it up.

"Spencer, what are you doing behind that desk and why on earth did you dig that piece of junk out again?" she scolded him, "Last time it almost got you killed."

"Well sister of mine, it seems Lewbert had a stroke this afternoon and they rushed him to the hospital,' Spencer said with just a touch to much glee in his voice, "so until he's able to work again, they asked me to fill in for him. The C.B. is out because it's cool and Chuck is stuck at math camp again this year so he can't rat me out to the truckers."

"I see a fire or a fight in the near future of the lobby," Carly shook her head as she put her arms on the desk, "Well anyway, I have a date with Dale tonight, so I have to go get ready. Can I trust you not to get into too much trouble tonight, and that I'll have an apartment building to come back too?"

"Carly are you seriously questioning whether or not I can watch this building and keep it safe?" Spencer asked indigently as he plugged in the power cord to the radio and the socket sparked and began to flame.

"I'll get the fire extinguisher," Carly rolled her eyes and walked to the wall and pulled the extinguisher down and brought it to her brother.

"How does that happen?" he yelled, a stricken look on his face, as he put the flame out.

Carly didn't answer, she just walked to the elevator and pushed the up button. She heard a noise of a small child behind her and turned to see Max and Tom Trent enter the lobby and stare at Spencer for a second, both of them turning their heads sideways before joining her at the elevator.

"Karwee," Max yelled and hugged her legs, "Daddy said woo was going to babysit me this summer."

She smiled at the boy and picked him up, 'that's right little dude. I'll watch you some of the time ," she hugged him back.

Tom smiled at her and for just a second their eyes locked, and Carly felt him look down at her, she hadn't put her sundress on when she had left the beach, and she felt a warm tingling throughout her body. It wasn't the warm fuzzy feeling she had felt with Dale, this was a hot flush that made her long to be kissed and touched by the doctor, to be taken to bed and have him touch her, remove her cloths, and make love to her. She could see it in his eyes and she knew he must see it in hers, and she though she knew it was wrong, she didn't feel ashamed by it at all. She smiled at Tom and unconsciously licked her lips as they stared at one another with seductive eyes. The elevator door opened and Gale Trent stepped out, "Well there are my two men, I thought I was going to have to go to work without seeing you two before I left," she picked Max up, missing the look of guilt on Tom and Carly's face. She kissed the boy and then drew her husband into a deep kiss.

Tom stuttered for a second as he spoke, "W…www… why don't we walk mommy to the car little man," he shot a look at Carly for a second and their eyes locked. Both knew what had happened or almost happened and knew that things weren't anywhere near over between them yet.

Carly stepped into the elevator and looked at herself in the reflection of the polished metal. She was surprised that she didn't recognize the face looking back at her. The sweet young girl who had made a date with a young boy named Dale wasn't who she saw. She saw a young woman who was about to go against everything she believed in, she saw a woman who was about to drift into an affair with a married father of one child while she dated a nice boy from school. She also saw someone who was already too far invested in the feelings to care or stop the events from happening.

.

Oh my, the summer is heating up. Plenty more action to come.

Please let me know what you think.

Read

~The CABAL~

aussiemma, axel100, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Coyote Laughs, iCabal, ItalianBabexo8, JamesTheGreater, KeyLimePie14, KingxLeon21, Moviepal, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, Pieequals36, pigwiz, PsychoticAppleSauce, Rhiabrey Skye, sidouxamer, Tech-Man, The Earl of Sandwich, twowritehands, Virgoleo23, Waffles Of Doom, WhiteKnightro, Wicked Allurement, xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.  
>The Cabal authors produce the best.<p>

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial


	5. Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates 3

Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates Part 3

.

A/N=I have discovered that what I had planned to do with this story has morphed on me. I wanted to bring all the characters to life as best as I could. I wanted them all to seem real and to have a voice and stake in the story. I have even decided to write for Spencer, whom I don't care for as a character that much, and make him more than just a pedophile firebug.

All of this is a roundabout way to say that this story is going to evolve at a leisurely pace. I know what is going to happen and I'll get the story there, but I am going to take my time about it. As I told some friends of mine here, "My iCarly story is turning into an iCarly novel. I hope to make this interesting for all of you and that you stick with me and this story because I'm hoping to do something different with it than I have ever done before. A special shout out to my Cabal brothers and sisters and special thanks to Pigwiz and White Knightro for the advice and support. Some of the best stuff in this story came from their encouragement and those chats we had. I also want to thank my beautiful wife Tamathy for giving me a reason to get up every morning and for the short subject that will be joining the Moviepal household sometime in February of next year! Now, you've wasted reading time reading this A/N, please start reading.

P.S. I never say it but I think you know, I don't own iCarly. If I did this season would have been much better.

.

.

Freddie stood in front of his bathroom mirror for the second time of the day. His hair was still just a bit wet and he had a towel wrapped around his waist. He studied his reflection, something he found himself doing a lot more of the past few days, and tried to make sure no pimples or blackheads showed. It would be beyond embarrassing to be sitting across the table looking at her and talking with a pimple somewhere on his face screaming "I'm a kid, I'm just a pimple having boy that secretly masturbates while I think about you", that would be the worst.

He shook his head and began to brush his teeth for the third time in as many minutes. 'No halitosis for me' he thought and he vigorously brushed. He knew the whole thing was crazy and could name several reasons why he should give up the crush:

.

1. She's married and her husband is a Marine who could probably snap you like a twig

2. She's five years older than you

3. She most likely doesn't think of you in that way

4. Even if she did think of you in that way, you have no idea what you're doing

5. And last but not least, adultery is a sin and you don't approve of it and would never do that to anyone.

.

'Sometimes it sucks to have morals,' he thought as he combed his hair, 'You say all this, yet here you are primping like you're heading out on a date. Why can't I be more like Sam, act on my impulses without thought, do whatever strikes my fancy when I want to. Just once I want to jump in with both feet before I look to see what's below.'

He gargled for the fourth time as he realized that despite how he had tried to rebel against his mother, she had done her work to well, he would probably always be a planer and someone who needed everything organized in order to function. The closest he probably would ever get to wild would be eating small amounts of fried foods that is if Sam didn't take them from him first.

He spit the mouthwash out and smacked his lips. He looked again at himself and spoke, "Melissa you look lovely tonight. Can you feel the attraction between us? It would be so wrong to let this magic between us go unused. We owe ourselves, we owe the world the passion that burns inside of us for each other. Let's not fight it or play games with it, let's make love my darling, here, now."

He raised an eyebrow and tried to make a sexy face, but ended up looking like he had been constipated for a week instead. He laughed at himself and turned around and walked back into his bedroom.

"That was some lame ass shit you just threw out there nub," he laughed.

Freddie spoke out loud to himself so much that he wasn't always aware that he did it, just like he wasn't aware that at least half the time he spoke to himself like Sam would speak to him. As he dressed he replayed his first meeting with Melissa in his head. He saw her in the shorts she had had on and the shirt that was tied above her bellybutton, her long red hair and her magnificent breasts. He could hear her melodious voice as she spoke.

It wasn't till he tucked his shirt in that he became aware that he had a raging hard on. He knew that there was no way he could go to her apartment with a hard on.

He quickly sat on the bed and began to think back to mother and son's pottery classes, mother and son's collage book classes, his mom's meatless, meatless rib's, and her tofu flavored tofu. With these ideas in his head the hard on began to finally subside, slowly. After he finally got control of himself he stood and walked back into the bathroom and splashed on some aftershave. Returning to his room he picked up the briefcase toolbox of electrical tools he had save a whole year for when he was thirteen, and made sure he had everything he would need and everything that she might not have to hook up her computer. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time, blowing out a puff of air, "Just be cool Freddie, just be cool. Don't do anything that will embarrass yourself or that will get a Marine to want to kill you when he gets home."

He nodded to himself as he walked out of his apartment and began to sing under his breath a Richard Marx song that had become stuck in his head the last few days, "Well, I think that I've been true to everybody else but me, And the way I feel about you makes my heart long to be free, Every time I look into your eyes I'm helplessly aware, That the someone I've been searching for is right there. Hold on to the night, Hold on to the memory, I wish that I could give you something more,That I could be yours."

.

For once in her life Sam was nervous about a date. Jeans, a penny tee, and converse sneakers simply wouldn't do for tonight. She wanted to still be herself, she just wanted to be the feminine side of herself. For once she wanted Carly's help in picking out cloths and getting her hair and make-up right. She didn't want to be Barbie, she just didn't want to be G.I. Joe either. She wanted Will to see the softer side, the side that wanted another kiss like they had shared in the car, the side that wanted him to hold doors open for her like Freddie did, the side that now craved to have him hold her hand again.

Sam was pacing the floor, a can of air spray in hand trying to get the last of the shit smell out of the apartment. She had been waiting for Carly for over twenty minutes now and was getting anxious now as in was almost five o'clock and Sam was impatient to get the show on the road. She opened the door and looked out into the hallway and around the corner to see if she was getting off the elevator. She spotted Freddie waiting for it to come, singing under his breath the tune he had hummed last night. She couldn't help but notice that he looked incredibly handsome as he stood there. She couldn't recall him ever looking so ruggedly handsome before. She felt a brief flash of something she couldn't identify as she stared at him silently. She felt like she had never seen this Freddie before, and she felt like she wanted to see more of him.

"Thought you were hooking up a computer for that Marine's wife, Fredwardo," Sam said, laughing as Freddie jumped, a startled look on his face, "You got a date with Tara after or something?"

"Damn it Sam," Freddie laughed as the embarrassment faded from his face, "now I gotta change my underwear. I think I shit myself. What the hell are you doing skulking around the hallway, looking for unsuspecting school kids to steal lunch money from?"

"I haven't done that since we were in tenth grade nub," she laughed.

"I know and I want my money back."

Sam wasn't aware of it, but as they spoke she began to walk closer to him, "Got change for a ten?"

"No, but give me the ten and I'll get your change back to you later," Freddie cocked his head to the side just a bit as he spoke.

Sam was now within arm's reach of him and she could smell the cologne he was wearing and suddenly she found that she couldn't remember why she had walked so close.

"You got a hot date with Will tonight?" Freddie asked; causing her to jump just a little and bringing her out of the confusion she was lost it.

"Uh… yeah, I mean I guess," she sputtered as she tried to regain some of her composure, "I mean he's taking me out to eat and see a movie. You never answered my question nub, you going out with Tara later?"

"No, we're going out tomorrow night, why?"

"You just looked dressed up like you're going on a date," Sam looked him up and down far longer than she meant to.

"No just hooking up Melissa, I mean Mrs. Langford's computer so she can video chat with her husband," Freddie tried to keep anything about his goofy crush on Melissa from showing as he spoke, "and I think she wants me to meet him, Charlie, because they want to discuss how much they're going to pay me for my help, so I figured I should look nice."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you do look nice," the smile on Sam's face was warm and genuine, "although I doubt that he'll be able to smell the cologne you have on."

Freddie touched the back of his right hand to her forehead and pulled it back with a smirk, "You don't feel like you have a fever," he looked into her eyes, not noticing the faint little look of excitement that welled up in her as he did so, "you don't look high or drunk, so I have to assume that aliens have abducted the real Sam and replaced her with a clone, because Sam Puckett would never give Fredward Benson a compliment."

Sam rolled her eyes and grinned as she playfully pushed at him, surprised when her hand contacted his chest and he didn't budge an inch, and at the way a charge of energy seemed to pass between them, "Take me to your leader, nub."

"He lives in a dark secluded room somewhere in the basement of the building," Freddie raised an eyebrow, "the kind of place where people can make-out undisturbed," a wicked and mischievous grin on his face.

Sam felt the heat rush throughout her entire body at Freddie's flirty remarks, "Wh… what? Did you just hit on me dork?"

"Nay, nay princess, I just make a comment," the hint of something sexual passed between them as he stepped closer to her, "did you want me too?"

Sam stood for a second unsure of how to or what to say, her mind suddenly reeling, thoughts colliding with feelings and desires, like a wreck on the freeway, leaving her speechless.

She was saved from her emotions and the need to answer him by the opening of the elevator doors. Carly stepped out and almost ran Freddie down as she walked into him, lost in her own confused thoughts.

"Shit, I'm sorry Freddie," Carly apologized as she bounced off of him.

"Walk much Carl's," Sam, finally out of her mental stupor, laughed, "Looks like Dale put the mojo on you buttercup. Got you walking into people looking all "moony" faced."

"Wh… uh… oh well yeah I guess so," she laughed nervously, images of Tom Trent and her making love still dancing in her head.

Sam and Freddie stared at each other, both aware of how strange Carly was acting, and forgot about themselves and turned their attention toward Carly.

"Carly," Freddie bent down to look Carly in the eyes, "is everything ok? Did Dale do something to you or say something out of line?"

"No … no he didn't do anything out of line," Carly said, but the strange look still covered her face.

"Carl's you look really troubled," Sam shot Freddie a concerned look and Freddie shrugged his shoulders helplessly, "Did Lewbert say something mean to you, because I'll buttersock the shit out of him if he did."

"No, Lewbert had a stroke or something," Carly was now agitated and almost belligerent with her friend, "for the last FUCKING time, NOTHING IS WRONG, DROP IT!"

Freddie whistled under his breath and gave Sam a worried look as he used his right to make a cutting motion at his neck.

Sam nodded, she understood the gesture and thought he was right, let it go for now and try again later, when she was calm.

"Ok Carl's," Sam tried to sound carefree, "I can't believe I'm asking this, but Will asked ne out tonight and I'd like you to help me spruce up. I don't want to look frumpy and all "tomboy" like. I see that mind turning Benson and just put the brakes on it before…"

"You spank me, slap me, or just jump my bones?" his grin quickly brought the heat back to Sam's body and left her speechless, "goodnight ladies," he winked at Sam stepped on the elevator, leaving both girls just staring at him in disbelief.

"What the hell was that all about?" Carly asked the stunned Sam, who just staring at Freddie as the doors closed and the elevator started its way down, "Did he just flirt with you or something?"

Sam stared at the elevator doors as if waiting for Freddie or at least some kind of explanation to emerge from it.

Now it was Carly's turn to try to snap Sam out of the trance she seemed to be in, "Yo, Sam, Sam, BLONDIE," she shouted.

Sam finally shook herself out of the trance with Carly's last shout, "What Carl's?"

"I said did Freddie just flirt with you or what? I mean the look you two passed back and forth could cook an entire pig," Carly was relieved to have something to get her mind off Trent and the very dangerous and wrongheaded thoughts he caused her, "You can't tell me that something isn't going on between the two of you Sam, I just saw it."

Sam shook her head, more to get her mind back on track than to answer Carly, "Carl's we were just talking and cutting up. I told you that we are just friends, I love Freddie… I mean I don't love Freddie. See now you got me all confused. Are you gonna help me get ready for my date or not?"

"Of course I'm going to help you, Carly put her arm around her friend and smiled, some of her torment about her feelings for Trent lifting at the thought of getting to help Sam look girly, "just how "unfrumpy" do you want to get?"

.

.

Freddie leaned against the back wall of the elevator and banged his head into the wall, softly of course.

"What the hell was that shit and where did that come from?" he asked of the empty car, "I've got a married woman running around in my head, I'm seeing a very sweet girl who wants me to love her and that I should feel something for but I don't, and now I start flirting with one of my friends, one of my friends who is dating someone else," he banged his head back several more times, "what the hell is happening to me? I'm not a player, but I sure as shit seem to be doing just that. When the hell did everything get so complicated and off track?"

The door opened and he looked at his watch, seeing he was going to be five minutes early, and walked toward seven b.

'Don't do anything stupid, be polite, keep your eyes above the neckline, think about your mother when you start to notice how beautiful Melissa is, ask tons of questions about Charlie so you remember the epic ass kicking you could get if you get all hormonal and stupid, and above all else, be a gentleman and show her that you were raised right,' he thought as he stood in front of the door and knocked softly.

"Coming," an angel's voice called from the other side of the door.

'Don't act all fanboy and goofy,' he said as the sweetness of her voice caused him to feel a rush of heat, 'remember, be a gentleman.'

He heard the locks and chain being moved and when the door opened all his pre-knock pep talk seemed to fly right out of his mind and he became a six year old in love with his teacher. Melissa wore a light blue blouse that was tasteful, but it failed to hide her curves, and a light blue skirt that went to the knees but still showed her long shapely legs. Her gray-green eyes sparkled as her luminous smile melted his heart just as surely as heat melts ice. With his briefcase tool box in hand, he had the fleeting image of a fifties sit-com husband coming home from work and being greeted by a woman who looked perfect. For a second he expected her to hug and kiss him and then hand him a martini.

"Fred, wow you look very nice," she smiled and stepped back to let him enter before closing the door.

"Thank you Mrs. Langford," he was proud that some of his earlier pep talk had finally kicked in.

"Now Fred I'm only twenty-three, not forty-three, so call me Melissa or you're going to make me feel old," she smiled and motioned for him to sit down.

He remained standing, case in front of him to hide his very aroused "friend", "I'll remember that, Melissa. Can I have a look at the computer and stuff?"

"Oh sure," she directed him to the first room off the hallway from the living room.

As they walked he noticed that a lot of furniture had been delivered, "Wow I guess the furniture got here today?"

"Yes, Thank God, I slept on one of Charlie's cots he brought home when we got married," she put a hand in the small of her back, "I don't see how those guys sleep on those things. Medieval torture devices couldn't have been as bad as that thing."

Freddie laughed as they walked into what was the second bedroom. The room had two small bookshelves, a well-worn but nice looking recliner, a gun case, several framed pictures of the couple from over the years, and an old fashioned roll top desk that looked like it was still new.

Freddie walked up to it with a smile on his face and whistled as he ran his hand over the closed accordion roll top, "Oh man, this is fantastic! My great-grandfather had on just like this. I loved it as a kid. It had all these drawers and hidden storage spaces. I'd sit on his knee and he'd tell me stories and show me all this neat stuff that he had collected over the years. I remember he had this one place he opened that had a silver flask that he always filled with some kind of alcohol that I can't remember now, and his cigarette case with Camel unfiltered in it," he wasn't even aware that he had drifted off into his own past, "He had a battered old typewriter sitting inside of it and he would work on his "novel" as he called it. It was some western about a botched train robbery and the manhunt after it. He fell asleep one night when I was ten or eleven and dropped his cigarette. The house burned down killing him and burning the desk up."

He could almost smell the alcohol and cigarette smoke and then snapped out of the past and became aware that he had a few tears rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I haven't seen one of these in a long time and it just brought these old memories of my great-grandfather back."

Melissa gave Freddie a chaste hug and told him, "It's alright, I understand. This desk was Charlie's grand-fathers and he feels the same way about it. Can you set the computer on the desk?"

Freddie wiped his eyes and smiled at her, blushing because of the hug, "Sure, it'll just take about two minutes."

"That's great," she smiled, "I'll go check on dinner. Just yell if you need something"

He wanted to say yes dear so bad, but forced it down, "I will Mrs. Um… I mean Melissa."

"Nice save," she grinned, "you're learning."

As she left the room he tried his best not to watch, but hormones got the better of him and he did watch. He could help but be turned on by the way her ass swished and how perfect it looked.

'Christ,' he thought, 'what do I have to do to get over this crush? Wonder if saltpeter really works?'

He sat the case of tools on the floor and rolled open the desk. It looked just like his great-grandfather's desk. That thought allowed him to forget about the crush and return to the task he was here for, setting up the computer. As he worked he absent mindedly played the stories his great-grandfather had told to him and as the memories played out in his head he found some comfort and release from his conflicted emotions and he began to sing quietly to himself.

.

"Damn it Carly," Sam shouted over the roar of the hairdryer, "I just didn't want to look frumpy. That doesn't mean I want to look like a hooker."

Carly stepped back, eyeliner in hand and looked Sam over, like an artist turning a critical eye to their canvas, "Oh Sam just chill and trust me. When I'm done with you his eyes are going to bulge out. So where are you two going?"

"Don't know," Sam said, "He didn't tell me."

"You really are into him aren't you?" Carly said as she stepped in front of Sam and began to apply a thin layer of blush to Sam's cheeks.

"He's so different than the guys I've dated before," Sam couldn't help but smile, "we have this rhythm with each other. I've never had that before and it's really kind of cool. Plus the fact that he is one great kisser, so yeah, I guess I am into him. We might be able to get something going here if things keep going so well."

"Aw, Sam's in love," Carly grinned and looked at Sam like she was her mother.

"I'm not in love Shay," Sam snapped, "I just really like the guy and well… I just want something better than what I've had before, you know."

"I think that's great Sam," Carly was now working on Sam's nails, "Will seems to be really nice and you two look great together. What do you think of Tara?"

"She's really sweet, in a non-disgusting way," Sam tried to sit still as Carly worked on her nails, "She's head over heels for Freddie isn't she?"

"Totally, I just hope she's not going to get hurt," Carly said in-between blowing on Sam's nails, "Got any ideas who his big crush is?"

"I've been wondering about that myself," Sam was bouncing her right leg, impatiently wanting to end the make-over session, "You saw him in the hall, all dressed up and claiming he's just going to hook up that ladies computer. He told me it was because they would be chatting with her husband about pay for the work he's gonna be doing and he wanted to look nice. I let it go but I bet you he's going to meet someone after he's done, I mean why else would he dress up, have cologne on if he's not meet someone?"

"You think he's crushing on the woman?"

"The dork lusting after an older woman, I just don't see it Carly. Although the more I think about it, you might just be right," Sam tried to stand and Carly gently pushed her back down, "My… the nubs got the hot's for the Marine's wife."

Carly was one of maybe three people in the world who could read Sam Puckett and her buried emotions and as she talked to her friend she once again was struck more by what wasn't said than what was. Sam could lie to everyone, even herself, and lie well, but not to Carly. They had been friends far too long and had been through too much together for Sam to pull the wool over Carly's eyes. Despite Will and how she really did like him, Carly could tell that Freddie was a burr under Sam's saddle. They had something that no one could understand going on between them, even themselves.

The bedrock of iCarly and the friendship of all three of them had been Carly at first. Carly was Sam's only friend and she had hated Freddie because he was moving in on her territory. Freddie had a massive crush on Carly and Sam wasted no chance to belittle and humiliate him, so he hated her right back. Carly was the peacemaker. Sometime after Sam and Freddie kissed small changes began to take place, nothing that could be seen by the naked eye, just little moments off the radar. Suddenly they could be left alone and not fight, Sam would lean against Freddie when they would watch movies, as long as no one noticed or said anything, they did bits for iCarly without her, they would even go to movies together, Freddie paid of course, and that was when Carly noticed the shift in their "game", and it was also when Sam and Freddie began to look at each other differently. Over the past year and a half Carly had noticed the quick little side glances, the one second over normal looks at each other, and most of all the telepathy that had grown between them. Carly sometimes thought that she could see the thoughts going back and forth between the two of them. It was almost spooky sometimes the way they knew what the other was thinking and the way they could finish each other's sentences.

"Maybe we ought to do a little snooping," Carly's eyes lit up as she spoke about her favorite past time, "You know, see just what's going on?"

"Carly Shay, you mean to tell me that you want us to spend part of our valuable summer vacation time on spying on Freddie instead of on the two great guys that we have met?" Sam shook her head at her brunette friend.

Carly had a look of guilt on her face, but with a sheepish grin shook her head, "Yeah, it's what I do best. You don't have to if you don't want' a Sam."

"Oh no, I want' a, I just wanted to clarify what we are doing," Sam smiled and chuckled as Carly smiled and stood up.

"There, all done," she stepped back and looked at Sam with the critical eye of a painter surveying her latest masterpiece, "He'll never know what hit him."

She spun Sam around and stepped back to let her see herself in the huge dressing table mirror. Sam was floored by what she saw. Carly had really done a good job and yet she still looked like she had very little makeup on at all. Her naturally curly hair had been straightened just a little, the eye shadow made her blue eyes standout, and the purple spaghetti strapped dress showed off her feminine side but didn't make her look all girly-girl or slutty.

'I can't wait for Freddie… Will, Will to see me,' she thought as she looked herself over, 'Damn it, what the hell is that? Get out of my head nub! I like Will, a lot, and I think we could have something good going on here, so why is it that Freddie keeps popping up in my head? Why do I feel like if Carly hadn't of come up when she did I would have kissed him with all my might? Why am I looking at myself and imagining his arms wrapping around me and melting into his a…?'

"Sam, SAM, Samantha," Carly practically screamed in her ear, pulling her out of her head and the flight of fancy she had lost herself in.

"Hum… what Carly?" she finally turned and spoke to her friend.

"I said, how do you like it?" Carly laughed in her head at her blonde friend's reaction to the reflection in the mirror.

"I can't believe that it's me that I'm looking at," Sam was telling the truth as she looked at herself, but she was still chasing the Freddie's ghost out of her mind, and she wanted, needed to talk to someone about her feelings and knew that she couldn't talk to Carly about it because Carly would try to make it into something it wasn't.

"Shay, you have outdone yourself," Sam smiled at her and going against everything she believed in, she gave her friend a big hug.

Carly was taken aback by the hug and had a confused smile on her bewildered face, "Ok, someone is really wrapped up in the man in her life, because Sam Puckett almost never hugs."

"Cool it Shay, I don't want to have to butter sock ya' after fine job you did on me."

Carly suddenly realized that Sam wasn't thinking about Will and broke out into a smile, 'She's in love. She's not crushing on anyone; she's head over heels in love, WITH FREDDIE! She doesn't quite see it yet, but she is in love with Freddie, and I think he may be falling for her. This is going to need a scorecard to keep up with everything before it's over. Sam and Freddie, Freddie and Sam, this is epic!'

"Carly, you have that look in your eye, the look that leads to all kinds of trouble," Sam was suddenly sure that things were about to get out of hand, "Carl's, I mean it whatever just ran through your mind stop it and stop it now. No good can come of it. Whatever your devious little mind has cooked up just let it go."

"Sam, I have no idea what you're talking about," an almost evil grin spread across the brunette's face giving her a Faustian like demeanor that sent a chill of dread up Sam's spine, "I'm just thinking how beautiful you look and how easy it's going to be to catch your true loves heart."

"True love?" Sam stared at her friend knowing that she was up to something, "Carly, I like Will very much, but true love is really overreaching at this point don't you think?"

"I bet you'll catch more than Will's eyes before the night is through," the smile on her face and gleam in Carly's eyes told Sam that nothing was going to stop her and whatever plan had hatched in her fangirl little mind. All Sam could hope for was that it wouldn't blow up in Carly's or her face.

Well this is the next chapter, stand by for the next one in a few hours, and Please let me know what you think.

.

Read

The CABAL

annierocket aussiemma axel100 BaalRulesbeforeskylines BoxOfTrinkets Braxenimos Coyote Laughs Deviocity Dwyn Arthur FMellark heartlinesiCarlyAngst JamesTheGreater KeyLimePie14 KingxLeon21 Moviepal Myjumpingsocks ober22 Pieequals36 Pigwiz rebeccaofsbfarm Rhiabrey Skye seddiefan2009sidouxamer Spinlight Tech-Man ThatSamGirl TheWrtrInMe Twowritehands User1-FlynnK Virgoleo23 Waffels Of Doom WhiteKnightroWildPomegranate xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.

The Cabal authors produce the best.

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial

Find us on fanfiction net: iCabal


	6. Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates 4

Beaches, Meatloaves, and First Dates 4

A/N= More to come. I hope people are still reading. Hello McFly, anybody home?

.

.

Tara was helping her father at the grill as she prepared to eat with her family in the backyard. Her father was a master of grilling out and this was the first of the year. Despite being a pain in the ass when she and Freddie were on the porch earlier, Tara loved her father very much. He was the only man, until Freddie, who had ever told her she was beautiful. He had spent many nights hugging her and giving her pep talks after some jackass had proved how cool he was by belittling her about her weight or her looks. Her father always found a way to make her smile and laugh. She, like most girls, had a kind of crush on her father. Not a sick or dirty crush, just the crush of a daughter who knew that her father was a man among men.

She stood beside him as he flipped the burgers on the grill with the practiced flair of a man who had done it for years. He was very serious about his grilling, he thought of it as an art form. You had to know just when to flip a burger, too soon and the meat stuck to the grill, too late and you cooked away the natural juices and were left with small "coal" burgers, burnt and devoid of true taste. Ribs required extra care and slow even cooking and the application of the sauce at just the right time and in even amounts or once again you would a very tasteless piece of over cooked meat. Corn, baked potatoes, and other vegetables had to be wrapped in aluminum foil and place high above the flames and allowed to cook at a slow even pace, sometimes twenty to thirty minutes before the meat was started cooking.

"So," her father said as he removed another hamburger patty from the plate that Tara was holding and carefully placing it on the grill, "this young man, Freddie, care to share anything about him, I mean since I did find him with his tongue down your throat, teddy bear," he grinned at her as he said it.

"Daddy," Tara gave her father a slight push as her face turned the color of the raw burgers still on the plate she held, "I can't believe you said that. I have to be honest with you, he was going to kiss my cheek and I, and well I kind of turned at the last second and kissed him. Please don't be mad at me or him, please."

Tara's father chuckled to himself and shook his head, "I could never be mad at you teddy bear and I could never be mad at a boy who puts this," he took his free hand and touched her cheek, "moony smile on my teddy bear's face. I love this smile and I like seeing you all giddy. Tell me about this remarkable young man."

She still had part of a blush on her face and the smile that wouldn't go away as she gushed to her father, "his name is Freddie Benson and he along with his two friends, Sam Puckett and Carly Shay do this web show called iCarly. It's funny and just the best. Freddie is the tech producer of the show and it was Carly's apartment that I went to the party at last night. Anyway, Linda, Sally, and I met this guy Brad Wheeler and he works as an intern for the show and he introduced us to Freddie and Gibby, a guy who performs on the show sometimes. Anyway, Freddie came right over in front of me and stood while we were introduced and just smiled at me. Linda and Sally started toward him but he took my hand and asked me to dance. Oh daddy, he talked to me and told me funny stories and told me I was beautiful, me, beautiful. His friends and their dates joined us, after we danced, at the food table and we all just talked and laughed and had the best time. No one talked about my weight and Freddie's two friends treated me just like one of the girls, like they had known me forever. I felt really special for once and they insisted that I join them at the beach today."

Henry Rollins looked at the glow his daughter had all around her as she told him about her night and the young man she had met. He had always tried to tell her how beautiful and special she was, but he knew that it would an outside source to make her believe it. He hadn't even met this boy yet but he already knew that he was going to like him. If he could see the true beauty of his teddy bear he was welcome in his home anytime.

"He took me to the beach and the girls dates and Freddie whistled at me when I took off my robe before we went swimming," the glare from her smile blinded her father for a second, "at me. Oh dad he's so sweet and kind and gentle, he told me that he has this crush on this older woman and that as much as he likes me, his head just isn't in a place for us to be a steady couple right now, but he does like me and wants to spend time with me. He even wants to take me out tomorrow night. I really, really like him and I think even with his crush, he likes me. He's so cute daddy, he doesn't want to hurt me and worries that he's not being fair to me. I told him I'll be fine and I told him I'm gonna do my best to make him fall in love with me."

Henry stared at his daughter, a woman, no longer a little girl, standing in front of him with all this confidence and joy oozing from her pores and felt a twinge of jealousy that this young man had finally done what he himself had tried for years to do and had failed. The young man had turned his shy, quiet little teddy bear into a very confident woman. His little caterpillar had suddenly become a beautiful butterfly and soon she would be flying away from him and as proud as he was of her, he was also heartbroken that the little girl who used to ride on his shoulders when they went places was no longer his little girl.

'I'm not ready to let her go,' he thought, 'I'm not ready to be the second man in her life.'

He pulled her into a hug as he took another hamburger from the plate and carefully placed it away from the almost done burgers and proceeded to carefully flip the almost done ones.

"I can't wait to meet this remarkable young man who seems to have taken part of my teddy bears heart."

He used the excuse that the smoke from the grill had caused the few tears that collected in the corner of his eyes as he took up the first of the done burgers and they walked toward the picnic table to join his wife and daughter and eat.

.

Tara went to her room after the meal and started texting her friends Linda and Sally. Within minutes the airwaves were a blistering white hot mass of text, re-text, and re-re-text. Questions about the beach, the swim, games that were played, what Sam and Carly talked to her about, what they ate, where they ate, what Freddie looked like without a shirt, could she tell how big he was through his swimsuit, did he touch her, did she touch him, did they kiss, when, where, how, where his hands were during the kiss, was tongue involved, did he break the kiss first or did she, how long was the kiss, did he kiss well, and a million other questions that girls ask about after a date.

Tara regretted the answer she gave to the next question. She knew she had made a mistake the moment she sent the text. The problem with the cyber world was that once something is out there it stayed out there was there was no such thing as taking it back.

Lucky Linda: Did he ask u out again?

Sexy Sally: Yeah did he?

Tara01: Yes. Tomorrow night at 6:30

As soon as she hit send she knew what was coming and hated herself for it. When the new text tone sounded and she saw Linda's name she cringed inside:

Lucky Linda: Fantastic! Sally and I will get Brad and Gibby to take us out and we can triple date!

'Shit,' Tara mentally kicked herself in the ass, 'why didn't I keep my big mouth shut? I love my friends, but damn it I wanted to spend some alone time with Freddie. Linda is going to be the queen bee of the night and ruin an otherwise great evening.'

A feeling of helplessness crept over her, Linda wasn't a person who took no for an answer and Tara wasn't someone who would say no to a friend. She smiled as she figured a way to at least salvage some of the evening, and began to type:

Tara01: We could meet at the movies; say 9:00 or so?

Lucky Linda: Great. We can go see "Chernobyl Diaries", it'll give us a chance to hang all over the guys and maybe even a chance to make-out and even feel the "package". That will really help us on our goal.

Tara rolled her eyes as she read the text, 'If she does anything to mess up what is happening between me and Freddie, I won't use Sam's butter sock, I'll use Tara's bowling ball sock on her,' she laughed at the idea.

There was a light rapping on her door and she said to come in. Her father came in and sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the young woman that had once been his little girl.

"I came to say goodnight teddy bear," he bent over and kissed the top of her head, "I gotta get up early tomorrow and finish this job I started today. I don't know if you want to, but why don't you invite your young man to join us for dinner? I've got some steaks and ribs marinating and you two could eat here before you go out. I promise not to embarrass you in front of him."

"I'll ask him," she smiled at him, "You'll love him daddy, I just know it."

"I'll never completely love any boy who takes my teddy bear away, but if you like him, I'll probably LIKE him," he was amazed at the one day transformation of his "teddy bear", from the shy little girl always afraid to draw attention to herself because of her size, to the woman excited about bring a boy home to meet him, "the fact that he's made you this happy carries a lot of weight with me."

He stood up and walked toward the door and turned around when he heard her pounding away furiously on her cellphone and shook his head and laughed to himself, 'Now I have to start meeting boyfriends, shit. When did I get old?' he wondered to himself as he closed the door to his very socially connected daughter and bemoaned his lost youth.

.

"You are all hooked up and ready to go," Freddie stepped out of the second bedroom; phone in hand, dialing Carly's number so he could test the set up by having a video chat with her. He stopped everything he was doing and inhaled deeply. The smell of wonderful, and editable, food made his salvia glands begin to produce copious amounts of salvia as he walked into the kitchen.

"That's …" Melissa started to say before Freddie held up his hand and took another deep almost sensual breath and walked toward the stove, hand still in the air.

He had a look of almost pure lust as his eyes scanned the stove and he breathed in the scent that generated from the various pots and pans. Melissa had to fight to keep from laughing as Fred's face twisted into the same kind of lustful gaze that Charlie gave her sometimes.

He picked up the lid of the first pot; his eyes rolling back in his head as he deeply inhaled, "Cabbage, fresh not canned," he lifted the lid of a second pot and unconsciously licked his lips, "Real homemade mashed potatoes, not instant," he lifted the third lid and grinned, "macaroni and cheese," he lifted the last lid, "fresh corn on the cob, not frozen," he then bent down and looked in the oven, "oh my God, cornbread and meatloaf with," he turned to Melissa with the look of a man who was about to ravage the woman he loves, "is that those crispy canned onions on top?"

Melissa was now about to lose her battle of not laughing, so she just nodded yes.

Freddie suddenly and almost sensuously let out a low guttural moan and was forced to grab a chair back to keep from sliding to the floor.

Melissa began to laugh, "You want a cigarette after that?"

'Shit, all you had to do was not do anything stupid or embarrassing,' he thought to himself, 'but noo, you go and practically bust a nut sniffing dinner. Might as well go to the park and start flashing people while you're at it.'

"I'm so sorry," he finally managed to get out before the absurdity of what he had done set in on him and he began to chuckle himself, "I told you, my mom is so over protecting that tofu and pretty much any barely editable foods are all she cooks. I have to hide food at Carly's just so I can have a few good meals during the week."

"Come on Fred, it can't be that bad."

"Seaweed and fiber casserole, tofu ice cream, tofu meatless meatloaf, and soy bean paste, trust me, it's that bad."

They both began to laugh as Melissa went to work setting the food on the table and Freddie called Carly as he went back into the bedroom and tested the web cam and the hook-up on the computer.

After the test, Freddie stepped back into the kitchen as Melissa set the last of the food on the table. He pulled her chair out for her and waited for her to get seated before taking the chair opposite from her. She was about to serve him the meatloaf when she noticed him bowing his head. She stopped and lowered her head as well.

"We thank you lord for the food you have provided for us and hope we can take the nurturance it provides to do the things you would have us do. We ask that you bless our friends and family and we ask that you take special care and watch over Charlie Langford and all our military overseas and bring them back home safe to their loved ones. As always Lord, your will not ours. We ask these things in your son's name, Amen"

Freddie raised his head and noticed that Melissa had a small tear rolling down her face. She looked back at him and smiled, "Thank you Fred, that meant a lot to me. It was very sweet."

She had him hand her his plate and spooned some of the cabbage and mac and cheese on his plate and passed it back to him. He got some of the mashed potatoes, an ear of corn, and a piece of cornbread and a large slab of the meatloaf.

Melissa couldn't help but remember something her grandmother had told he as a child, "You can tell how good the meal is by the amount of talking that goes on around the table, the quieter the table is the better the cooking is", and she guessed her cooking must be good because Fred did a minimum of talk. He did, however, make the sounds of someone who hadn't eaten good food in months.

"So what time are you two supposed to chat?" he asked as he helped himself to another piece of cornbread and meatloaf.

"About seven o'clock local time," she smiled as she watched him eat yet another forkful of the meatloaf and reach out to spoon more mashed potatoes onto his plate, "I can't remember if it's yesterday or tomorrow in Afghanistan. I can't keep it straight in my head."

"Afghanistan is like eleven and a half hours ahead of us, I think," Freddie said in-between bites of food, "this is the best meal I've had in a long, long time. I mean it, it really is the best," he grinned and took a bite of corn.

"Why thank you sir," she bowed her head at him, "I love to cook, but with Charlie gone, I don't know, my hearts just not in it. I really wasn't sure the meal would be fit to eat."

Freddie sat his fork down on his plate and looked at her with a very serious stare, "Well I feel that it's my duty to help out a Marine who is serving our country, so I would be willing to let you cook for me so that you could stay in practice for when he gets home."

He tried not to grin, but he couldn't help it. They both began to laugh and finally somewhere in the laugh, Freddie was able to hide at least for a while his feelings for Melissa and just enjoy the company of a lady who was lonely and scared for her husband. He helped her do the dishes, a chore he had always secretly loved doing, and she talked about Charlie. She told of how they met and how she fell in love with him. She told him the story of the time her father came within fifteen seconds of finding them in her bed when they were seniors in high school. He laughed as she showed him a picture of Charlie, as they set down in the living room, and told of how he had crawled under her bed as her daddy sat down to have a long forty minute chat about her boyfriend and where they were headed. She explained that her father was a heavy set man and that he drove the springs of the bed down so far on Charlie that he had them imprinted on his ass for a week. He was very touched by the way she seemed to wrap her memories of her husband around her like a security blanket a child keeps with them where ever they go to hold back the monsters in the dark. He wondered if he would ever find that kind of love himself and he found himself liking Charlie before ever meeting him. His crush still wasn't gone, if anything it was stronger, but it was tempered now with the knowledge of how strong she seemed to love her husband, and he knew he could be around her and not lust after her the whole time.

'Shit, I just made a new friend, maybe two,' he thought as her watched her shine as she told yet another story about the love of her life, 'I think this summer is going to be one for the record books.'

At seven they both walked back to the second bedroom and Melissa sat down and typed in the address and waited for the connection to be made. After a few minutes a window opened in the top left-hand corner of the screen and she clicked it to full screen. There was a low hum for a second and then a very happy face appeared on screen.

Charlie had a severe buzz cut, his head looking like three days' worth beard growth, and dark brown almost black eyes. He looked much younger than his age, Freddie thought, like a sixteen year old instead of a twenty-three year old combat vet. It looked light behind him so Freddie figured that it must be morning or afternoon where he was. A smile that split his face from ear to ear formed as he spoke.

"Hey baby, God you look good," Charlie seemed to reach out and touch the screen, "and I take it that this young man is the person I have to thank for setting it up so we can chat?"

"I'm so glad to see and hear you baby," Melissa seemed to radiate light and heat from her body as she talked to her husband, "and yes this is the young man we talked about on the phone yesterday," she turned and waved for Freddie to walk forward some, "Charlie this is Fred Benson."

"Fred I wish I could shake your hand and thank in in person, but Uncle Sam doesn't see it that way," he seemed to fill the whole room with his vibrato and presence, "so I'll just have to say this, thank you. You have no idea what it means to me to be able to see as well as hear her. You may have saved my sanity, and the offer to help with the apartment really makes me feel good. I hate that Melissa is in the city by herself, but I feel like I got a wingman backing me up. We talked about it and we can give you one hundred and fifty dollars a week, I'm sorry we can't give you more now, but maybe later we can shoot a little more your way."

"That's too much, I couldn't take that much from you guys," Freddie shook his head.

"It's not enough," Charlie was now shaking his head, "You have no clue what it means for me to know I've got someone there to helping my little red and watching over her while I'm away."

"I promise I'll do my best to hold the fort down for you till you get back," Freddie snapped him a salute and felt embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders at the Marine.

Charlie grinned and chuckled, "Wishing you had that one back?'

"Can I trust that you two will never let that "incident" ever leave this room?" Freddie smiled and tried to force the red from his cheeks.

"I promise Fred, cross my heart," Melissa made the crossing sign.

"You have my word also Fred," Charlie said as he made a motion with his hand and stepped away from the camera for a second to reveal at least ten Marines, all with their hands over their hearts as they shouted out in unison, "We promise Fred!"

The laughter from the Marines in the computer tent filled the room and despite being the butt of the joke Freddie joined them, Charlie, and Melissa in a wave of laughter that shrank the continents for a few seconds and made the whole group family.

"Listen Fred, before I run you and these guys off so I can talk to little red by myself," Charlie took his place in front of the camera again, "This is a stupid question, but do you have a web-cam on your computer?"

"I sure do," Freddie shook his head yes.

"Good," Charlie had a look of mischief on his face, "leave your i.p. address and I'd like to chat with you in private. Wingman stuff."

Freddie wrote the information down and left it by the keyboard. Melissa walked him to the door, placing her arms around his shoulders and giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you so much," she whispered in his ear as she released him from the hug.

Suddenly it was all back, the rush of hormones through his body, the feeling that his stomach had dropped out from under him, the sweaty palms, and the urge to kiss her slowly and to meld their bodies into one and lose himself in her.

She smiled and closed the door, leaving him staring at the peep hole, guilt and shame once again hanging from his neck like an albatross. He snapped out of the trance, sighed heavily while shaking his head. He needed to think and try to sort his feelings out, and he knew of only one place where he could do that. He stopped by the apartment and grabbed his Pear pod and dock and headed for the one spot in the universe that he could control and find peace, the fire escape.

.

At six-fifty-five Will knocked on Carly's door. He had gone home and taken a shower and changed clothes. He had also spent the time thinking about and reliving the kiss he had shared with Sam in the car. It had been magical and he very much wanted, needed another. He had found her easy to talk with and very funny, not to mention gorgeous. Using knowledge from Freddie, he had planned what he hoped would be a great first date, dinner at "Pete's Pork Pail", seeing the movie "Chernobyl Diaries", and with any luck maybe another kiss good night. He wanted to take his time with Sam and do things right, not rush it and kill off something that might be very special.

The door opened and for a split second he was speechless. The person before him was Sam, but not a Sam he had seen. The purple dress, the low heals, the make-up, and the way her hair was done left him with no words, he just looked at her and suddenly began to grin.

"My God," he said when he found his voice, "you look great, I mean beautiful."

Sam felt the heat on her face, "Thanks, you look nice to."

Will had a button-up white shirt and black pants and he thanked her in return.

"So would you care to go to dinner now?" he asked.

"I'm so ready," she said, taking the arm he offered her, "Where to?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," he felt just a bit taller as they walked toward the elevator.

.

"Well we're rolling the senior homecoming float house," Will manages to get out between laughs, "and this friend of mine Barry is the one who drove us in his van, because we could all fit, anyway we're rolling the yard and had no clue that the people inside were watching us and calling to police. Barry, who had customized his van so he could shoot bottle rockets from inside to fire out like torpedoes, decides to place an m-eighty in the mail box. He's a bit of an explosives junkie, has made this long fuse. So as he's making his way back to the van the police pull onto the street, a dead end mind you, and flip the lights and siren. Well we all scatter like dust in the wind leaving poor Barry there holding the bag. He starts talking to them and he's sweating bullets because he knows the m-eighty is burning as they speak and wants to finish up and get out before it blows. He yes sir's and no sir's them, as polite as he can be and they let him off with a warning and tell him to bring his friends to clean the mess up at seven in the morning. He nods and just as he closes the door the m-eighty goes off and blows the mailbox all to hell. Barry just got out handed them the keys and spread his hands on the hood of the van waiting to be frisked."

Sam roared with laughter as Will finished his story, "So what did they do to him?"

"Six months' probation and one hundred and ten hours of community service, all to be done over the summer."

Sam whistled softly, "Damn, that sucks."

"Almost his exact words," Will laughed.

Sam and Will talked about everything under the sun as they ate, laughing and having the best of times. As they left the restaurant, heading to the car, Will offered and Sam accepted his hand and they walked in silence to the car.

At the theater, he bought two tickets to "Chernobyl Diaries" and one of the "Earth Mover" buckets of popcorn and two large sodas.

They talked and laughed quietly till the previews started and then settled in to watch the movie. Somewhere around the midway point of the movie their hands touched in the popcorn bucket and they smiled at one another and Will draped his arm over Sam's shoulder and squeezed just a touch. This brought another smile to Sam's face and she thought to herself, 'Damn this is nice nub.'

Sam was lucky that at the same instance on screen a jolt horror sting happened, so it didn't look out of place her sudden jumping and pulling away.

'What the hell was that?' she thought as she tried to steady herself, 'Why does Freddie keep hopping into my head?'

The rest of the date went fine and they both had a good time. Sam was able to set aside the thought of Freddie and when they got back to Bushwell at a little after ten-thirty she was back to thinking how amazing Will was and how much fun she had had.

Spencer was not in the lobby, he'd gone off duty at ten o'clock, so it was the two of them alone. Will stood at the elevator door waiting with her for the car to arrive holding her hand a smile on his face. He had had a very good time and felt something he hadn't expected to feel. He felt close to Sam and had enjoyed the ease with which they had gotten along.

The elevator arrived and as she started to step in he leaned in and gave her a goodnight kiss. This time she licked at his bottom lip and he opened his mouth and let her tongue in. He felt the fireworks go off in his head and wanted to take the back of her head and give free rein to the passion he felt from the kiss, but didn't, remembering that he wanted to take this slow and get it right.

They broke apart and both sighed, "Sam I've got stuff with my folks tomorrow, but would you like to do something Monday?" he asked.

Sam smiled as she hit the button for the eighth floor and said, "Sure give me a call and let me know," she said as the door closed. As the elevator began to move up the smile faltered just a touch as one lone word and face popped into her mind for a fraction of a second, 'Freddie,' and as soon as it came it left again, leaving in its wake a load of questions and feelings she had no way of dealing with and no frame of reference to put the conflicting thoughts into.

'When the hell did everything get so fucked up?' she thought as she leaned her head back against the elevator wall.

.

Carly heard Sam and Will leave as she got ready for Dale to pick her up. She had finally managed to cage and store the feelings she had for Tom and had managed to find her happy place again. She was excited about Dale and excited about the idea of her little pet project to see just what was going on with her two best friends and this non-relation relationship that they had going on.

She had just finished putting on her lip gloss when someone knocked on the door. She bounded down the steps two at a time and stopped herself at the bottom, 'Don't need to rush Carly, don't want to appear desperate to the very cute boy.'

She checked her hair and make-up one more time and then opened the door. She felt a catch in her throat and a mad rush of heat throughout her body. Dale stood in front of her in a very nice polo shirt and slacks, three small pink roses in his hand and a smile on his face that said she was very special in his eyes and it triggered something deep down in her that no boy had ever triggered before, she felt special, the kind of special that only her father and brother had made her feel. She glowed as she looked at him and knew that in his eyes at least she meant something very special.

With a thick French accent Dale bowed and then took Carly's hand, "Wee, wee madam, I come from zee Kasbah in search of zee rare beauty named Carly. I come with zee gifts and an offer to take 'er to one of zee finest bistros in zhis city and then take 'er to the theater to see a film of 'er choice."

Carly laughed as Dale walked in and handed her the flowers. She sniffed the roses and leaned in and gave him a kiss, "These are beautiful. I can't remember the last time someone other than my family ever brought me flowers. Give me a minute to put these in water and I'll be ready to go, ok?"

"Sounds like a plan," Dale said as he looked around the room. He hadn't had a chance to do that earlier because of the whole "batshit" fiasco. He was amazed at the size of the first floor and wondered what the floor upstairs looked like. The "sculptures" around the apartment were a wide variety of styles and made of what looked like common household items. They really weren't his taste, but then his knowledge of art consisted of Archie and Spider-man comics, but he imagined there were people who would pay good money to buy the stuff, he just wasn't sure why.

Carly came out of the kitchen with a vase that held her three roses, "I'm ready when you are," she said as she touched his arm.

"My lady your chariot awaits you," he offered her his arm, which she took, "and by that I mean a vintage, old as hell, Volkswagen with bondo and primer proudly displayed at various spots around the vehicle."

Carly laughed and moved ever so closer to him, his arm dropping hers and sliding around her waist in a natural and very relaxed manner. Carly leaned into his body so that they touched and gave a contented sigh as they walked to the elevator.

Dale had been truthful about his "bug", and it produced more than a few stares as they pulled up to "Demo's", a very high end restaurant that offered valet parking.

"Watch this, I saw it in a movie once," Dale smiled as he got out.

He handed the valet a ten dollar bill and said, "Park it near the front if you don't mind," he turned to the car, "this shit happened the last time I was here."

With no further word, he took Carly's hand and walked into the restaurant with a calm and confidant smile and wink at her as they walked.

"I love doing that," is all that he said.

.

The entire dinner was like something out of a romance movie to Carly. They talked and laughed about everything under the sun. Dale admitted to being the one who put super glue on every page of Brigg's text book and to the fact that he loved line dancing.

Little by little the noise of the crowd began to fade along with the clear distinction of the people themselves. Stories of great-granddad and stories about fathers danced between the stories of first crushes, kisses, worst date, strangest date, favorite foods, movies, books, shows, and a million other tidbits this that didn't matter separately, but when choreographed together became the waltz of attraction. At its worst, the stories and anecdotes were simple date killers, but when the chemistry and stories were right they became the glue that bonded two people together and allowed love to bloom.

By the time they left the restaurant they walked much closer and seemed; to Carly at least, blending together so that their two shadows became one. It made her stomach fill with butterflies and her body soar like she had wings. The only thing on her mind was Dale and just how much she had come to enjoy being with him.

They went to see "The Lucky One", holding hands the whole time, Carly's head on his shoulder. If someone asked them later what the movie was about, neither of them could tell you a thing about it. After the lights came up they were startled out of a kiss by the ushers asking them to leave so the next showing could be seated.

Slightly embarrassed, but in no caring, they got up and left. The walk to the "bondomobile" was quiet and very slow. Dale opened the door for Carly and as she got in she lightly kissed his lips and smiled. As he walked around to get into the "bug", he whistled some tune he'd heard before, but could put no lyrics to, and wondered if there had ever been a night like this one before.

His answer was no.

.

Hope you're liking it so far, Please let me know.

Read

The CABAL

annierocket aussiemma axel100 BaalRulesbeforeskylines BoxOfTrinkets Braxenimos Coyote Laughs Deviocity Dwyn Arthur FMellark heartlinesiCarlyAngst JamesTheGreater KeyLimePie14 KingxLeon21 Moviepal Myjumpingsocks ober22 Pieequals36 Pigwiz rebeccaofsbfarm Rhiabrey Skye seddiefan2009sidouxamer Spinlight Tech-Man ThatSamGirl TheWrtrInMe Twowritehands User1-FlynnK Virgoleo23 Waffels Of Doom WhiteKnightroWildPomegranate xXACCEBXx

From fluff, to face melting angst.

The Cabal authors produce the best.

Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial

Find us on fanfiction net: iCabal


	7. Beaches, Meatloaves, And First Dates5

Beaches, Meatloaves, and First Dates5

.

A/N: The discussion between Sam and Freddie in the beginning sprang from a chat I had with Pigwiz and thatcrazysamchick one night about swear words. They both get credit for most of them, but the weird sexual things mentioned can sadly be found on this site, at least for the time being, so sit back, get a drink, yes it's long, and enjoy. Please let me know what you think, I feel kind of alone out here.

PS= Big virtual props to anyone who can name the 1960's black and white horror movie Spencer is watching.

.

.

Freddie had been outside for over an hour, turning things over in his mind, trying to find something solid to hold on to. Everything he was feeling was against everything that he believed morally and yet he couldn't stop the feelings. He toyed with the idea that perhaps he was insane or at least having a nervous breakdown, but logic dictated that if you were clearheaded enough to think it, then you weren't.

He felt like someone had opened the door of his world and fired a shotgun blast of feelings, hormones, and temptation point blank into his chest and head. It was just after ten-thirty that he decided to go in, get some sleep (if possible) and he would seek advice from the one person who he had always been able to talk with and get straight answers from.

He gathered his things and with a sigh of many unanswered questions stepped back into the building.

.

Sam turned over in her mind why Freddie kept popping into her head. It wasn't like it was all the time, but it was at the most inappropriate times. She was losing her ability to fend it off and it scared her. Here she had finally found this great and together guy and pictures of Freddie started to pop up out of nowhere. She raised her head as the bell dinged and she stepped out of the elevator at ten-thirty-five.

.

Collision

.

Sam caught Freddie's eyes as he stepped through the window, and he caught hers as she stepped out of the elevator.

Neither of them knew it or even understood it, but in the millisecond that light refracts in the corona and a picture is sent to the brain, something deep and primordial passed between the two, and a seed was planted.

"Fredrow, what the hell are up skulking around on the fire escape at this time of night?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Wow," Freddie decided it was worth getting killed or beaten to look Sam up and down and make a comment, "I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you look right now Puckett, I… just wow."

Sam was genuinely touched and shocked at Freddie's statement. She knew she was blushing and she knew that that one statement from him meant more to her than anything anyone else had said to her in her entire life. No voice came, no thought popped into her mind of what to say, and for a moment, if not for all time, Sam Puckett was content with her life and where she was.

"Oh my God," Freddie smirked at her, his eyes never leaving hers, "I have stunned Princess Puckett into silence. Surely hell has indeed frozen over."

As the grin broke across Freddie's face, Sam felt her own grin creep up on her and thoughts of the night seemed to file themselves away on their own.

Finally something crossed her mind and she found a voice to speak, "Careful nub, people might hear you and think you've gone nuts."

"I think the fact that I hang around with you proves that I'm nuts," he smiled.

"Touché," Sam said as she walked toward him, "and thanks. Now what's wrong, why are you looking so glum chum?"

"Glum chum," he laughed, "did Will take you to the fifties or something. That may be the cheesiest line I've ever heard you say."

"See, just what I've been saying all these years, your nubbyness wears off on people," she was now closer to him and looking up, "and you're evading the question, what's got you so uptight that you need to escape to the fire escape sanctuary? You only go out there when you're really fired up, so tell mama what's going on in that nubby little brain of yours," she tapped her index finger on his forehead.

Shaking his head, Freddie gave her his patented half grin, "That's the real problem princess; I don't know what's going on. I just suddenly feel like everything is moving at light speed and coming at me too fast."

"Well I can sympathize with you on that one," they walked towards the door to Freddie's apartment.

"What could you possibly be conflicted about?" he slid the key in the lock and opened the door and they both walked in, "I mean looked to me like you and Will were hitting it off pretty well this afternoon."

"Oh we did and we are, it just seems like things are more complicated than I thought they would be," they walked up the steps and into Freddie's room.

"Complicated? Complicated like how? Is he married, dating someone else, really a girl dressed as a guy, gay, into S&M, wants you to call him "daddy", likes to dress like a woman, into animals, wants you to suck his toes, wants you to talk dirty to him, make him eat dog food, wants you to pretend to be the dirty librarian, wants to watch you pee, I mean come on princess, complicated covers quite a bit of ground here," Freddie finally finished as he and Sam both fell backwards onto his bed in a fit of laughter that shook the entire bed. For several seconds it was a toss-up as to who would pass out because of lack of oxygen and then it settled down to the occasional titter of a laugh.

Wiping tears from their eyes, Sam and Freddie sat up and then stood. Volumes were passed between the two of them in the silence as they held each other's gaze just a second longer than was normal. A smile crept across their faces and then Freddie walked closer to her. She noticed how sensually and confidently he walked, and suddenly became aware that more than anything, even more than she had wanted Will to do earlier, she wanted Freddie to kiss her, and more importantly, she wanted to kiss him back.

He stood in front of her and bent down, his lips inches from her right ear, his warm breath sending chills down her spine, and whispered, "I didn't even get to use my most creative lines like twatwaffle, nutsuck, coochiestank, tallywacker, cockcheese, or twatitch. Now those are funny."

Sam's eyes snapped open and she was vaguely disappointed that she hadn't been kissed, but the names and the comical grin on Freddie's face made her start laughing again.

"Damnit nub, how's a girl supposed to be all moody and angst-ridden when you keep her laughing?" she playfully shoved him away as they walked back down the stairs and toward the front door.

"I thought I was the one who was angst-ridden and moody," he closed the front door and without a thought between them about it, his arm slipped around her shoulder and her arm snaked around his waist as they walked back to the elevator.

"No I said you had something on your mind, not that you were moody or angst-ridden," she unconsciously hit the down button as she rubbed her hand on his side as he made circles on her right shoulder with his index finger, completely unaware that they were doing it, "Did things not go well with the Marine?"

"No that went quite well actually," he looked down at her as they walked into the open door of the elevator, "he wants to pay me a hundred and fifty dollars a week for helping Melissa out."

"Whoa, that's some serious change," Sam whistled quietly, "Melissa?"

"She got all upset at me calling her Mrs. Langford, said it made her feel old," he pleased himself at how well he was hiding the fact that he was crushing on Melissa from Sam, "Anyway, I told them it was too much, but he said it wasn't enough and he hoped to do more when he gets home in a few months. He's really pretty cool and he has this amazing old roll top desk that looks just like this one my great-grand-dad had. The thing is so freaking cool."

"Chilllax Fredloaf, don't bust-a-nut on momma over some old desk," Sam couldn't help but grin at the animated way Freddie was talking about some old hunk of wood, and how adorable he was while doing it, "Do you need a cigarette after that description there stud?"

"Melissa asked me the same thing when I was sniffing dinner."

"You "sniffed" dinner?" Sam couldn't help but give him a quizzical and a smile.

"Don't laugh," he smiled back, "You know how and what my mom cooks. Well Melissa fixed this meatloaf with those caned fried onions on top, cabbage, potatoes, and all kinds of good stuff and it smelled and tasted great. Anyway, when I walked into the kitchen and got a good whiff of the food I turned into Pavlov's dog and kind of zoned out, I mean it was real food not some kind of paste or weird ass health food shit, it was honest to God food!"

The door opened, and while still holding on to each other, they walked out of the building and into the quiet streets. Traffic lights were just beginning to switch over to flashing lights as they crossed the street at the crosswalk in front of the building. The only sounds besides their voices were the sounds of a city winding down, cars running through puddles made by street cleaners, the hum of neon from hundreds of signs, the occasional bark of a dog or meow of a cat, snores of street people asleep on benches or in alleys, and the sounds of couples walking and talking about the things couples talk about when they are strolling late at night.

After walking for several minutes and talking about nothing in particular Sam, head leaning slightly against Freddie's arm, asked, "Where are we walking to?"

"I thought you knew," he said with a faint chuckle, "but I guess since we've walked this far we might as well get a late burger at "Steakburger" by "The Groovy Smoothie", want to?"

"Hi, I'm Sam, have we met?" she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he squeezed her shoulder.

As they rounded the corner they were met by a small brown and white beagle puppy that promptly started wagging its tail and following them. They stopped and Sam bent down and held her hand low so the dog could see she meant it no harm and so it could sniff her and get her scent.

After it got her scent, the dog's tail began to wag so fast and so hard that they both worried its hips would dislocate. It then rolled over on its back, paws in the air, as if to say, "You may scratch my tummy now".

Sam, in a most unSam like display, squatted down and began to rub his belly, now most obviously a boy, and baby talk to it, "Who's the sweetest boy, huh? Are you the sweetest boy? Yes you are the sweetest little boy, yes you are."

She suddenly became aware of what she was doing and who stood looking down at her. With a shy look, she stared at Freddie and grinned when he squatted down himself and began to rub on the puppy tummy also, "And the world will never know," he grinned back and playfully nudged her with his arm.

As they rubbed the puppy they heard his little stomach growl and Sam gently picked him up, as she and Freddie stood, "Aw, are you hungry little guy?"

The puppy kissed, and licked, her face and Freddie's hand before settling down and easing up on Sam's shoulder. That was the second that changed everything for the three of them, although none of them knew it yet. Sam looked at Freddie and did something she had never done before, she asked, "Can we take him with us and get him something to eat?"

"Well we aren't going to leave him out here to starve," he scratched the puppy's head and it yawned, "if he can stay awake that is."

Sam beamed at Freddie and did something else she rarely ever did; she hugged Freddie and said, "Thanks Freddie."

"A thank you, a hug, and you used my name, not some portion of it, but my real name," with no thought at all, his arm slipped around her shoulder again and this time she leaned into him so that their sides touched as they walked, "If I had known that, I'd of gotten you a puppy sooner."

"Steakburger" as it turned out had three iCarly fans working the late-night shift and they allowed them to bring the puppy in with them. Freddie ordered two double cheeseburger and fries for himself and Sam, along with two large "peppy cola's", and a glass of water, a dollar hamburger, and small fries for "Mutt", so christened by Sam, and they sat in a back booth, just the three of them.

"Mutt", about the size of Freddie's open hand, stood on the table eating the torn into little pieces of his hamburger and his fries very slowly, considering how hungry he was. He would stop to lap at the water once in a while, and to observe the two humans that were being kind to him, tail wagging the whole time.

The two of them sat and talked about nothing at all, laughing, playing with the dog, and having fun, completely unaware that to anyone who might pass by or to even the dog, then looked like a couple very much in love.

.

Just as Freddie and Sam adopted the puppy, Dale pulled into the parking lot of Bushwell and turned off the engine. The two of them sat there, staring out the windshield, in the awkward last stage of a date, the good night.

"So, uh… I really had a really nic… um… great time Carly," Dale felt all the confidence he had earlier in the evening desert him now, "I was wondering, I mean I know you probably wouldn't want to, I mean I understand, but I was wondering if maybe, you know, if you wanted to, I don't know, I was thinking that maybe we might, but you don't have to, go…"

Carly couldn't help but smile at how clumsily verbally Dale had become in the span of five minutes, "My curfew is eleven, you want to try to write down what you want to say?"

They both laughed and suddenly Dale unfroze and found his tongue and brain working again, "I go to see my Great-granddad every Sunday and what I was trying to ask is if you would like to come with me tomorrow."

"That sounds great, what time?" Carly smiled at him and noticed he looked like a child on Christmas day.

"You will, oh man that's great," he leaned over and kissed her.

Within two seconds the kiss turned into a very heated make-out session, complete with moans, grunts, and groans. After several minutes they broke away for air, "Um… well I better get you inside before I forget my manners," Dale looked at her with an intensity she had never seen before.

He got out and walked around to open her door. As she watched him walk she for the first time with any boy she had ever dated, wanted him to touch her and kiss her, and to make love to her. It shocked her at how natural the feeling was in her, like she had felt it before, but she knew she hadn't.

As he opened the door and she got out and stood up, she impulsively gave him another kiss, this time running her tongue along his bottom lip. This time the kiss was more carnal than the one before and Carly wasn't at all shy about how she felt.

This time when they broke apart they were both breathing heavy and then their modesty seemed to kick in. Dale put his arm around her shoulder and the two of them walked to the lobby of the building in silence.

Carly pushed the up button and turned to Dale, "I really did have a great time tonight, well the whole day really," she touched his face with her hand, "call me tomorrow about going to see your great-grandfather."

Feeling unsure if he could hold himself back, Dale placed a kiss on Carly's forehead and spoke softly as he looked into her eyes, "Thank you for a wonderful day and evening Carly."

The rest of their goodnight was soundless and passed only between them eye to eye. The looks promised much more to come and were welcomed by both.

As Carly got on the elevator and turned to wave at Dale, she began to hum a tune from a love song she liked and wondered if Dale might just be the one she had been waiting for.

.

After Freddie left, Melissa sat in front of the computer looking at Charlie as he told her about his day. He looked thin and tanned, but the smile on his face is what set her heart aflame. It was the smile he reserved for her alone, the one that melted her defenses and won fights because it trumped her anger. It had been weeks since she had seen him and the sight of him lifted her spirits to the heavens. She couldn't imagine how wives during World War II had survived without video chatting.

"You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" he laughed at her, his eyes crinkling up in the corners in a way that made him look like a little boy again.

"No darling," she smiled at him, "I was just looking at you. I could and intend to spend the rest of my life looking at that face," her tone lowered and a slight haze of moisture formed over her eyes, "I love every crease, line, dimple, and feature of that face my love. When I die I want your picture on the lid of my coffin, so that I can look at you for eternity."

She reached out her hand and stroked the screen of the computer, willing her touch through the lines and wires and across time and space to him on the other side of the world. Her smile was brighter than any light made by man or God at that moment.

"Three more months' baby," he returned the gesture, the look of a man totally in love with his wife radiating across the miles back at her, "and we're done with all this different continents shit, and we can get on with filling that second bedroom."

She raised her eyebrow and smirked at him sexily, "Why Mr. Langford, I do believe you're making advances toward me?"

She had used her southern drawl, the one that made him lose control when they were alone, and he felt a heat that wasn't desert born course through him, "If we had a private tent here, I'd cybersex you like no tomorrow young lady. You just save that accent for my first day back."

"You mean your first night back," she smiled.

His grin went from ear to ear, "Nope, I said what I meant, and I meant what I said!"

It was Melissa's turn to feel the heat and she knew that if they didn't get control of themselves the conversion would turn into something X-rated, "Charlie, we need to rein in this talk baby or the FCC is gonna shut us down."

"Yes dear," he said in mock defeat, "but I do want at least twelve kids. I want them to all look like you, and I'll bring home some weapons so when my girls get of age I can meet the boys on the porch with gun in hand."

"Twelve," Melissa laughed and shook her head, "You'll have to meet them because after twelve I won't be able to walk. You want twelve girls, you don't want any boys?"

"You want a boy?"

"I want three boys," she smiled at him, and for a moment they were in the room together and the distance between them was gone, "and I want all of them to look and be just like you because the world needs more men like you and I want to give them to it."

They stared at one another for a few seconds, the silence and look speaking for them and then they turned to other matters, "So I think Fred is going to be a big help to me babe, especially now that the furniture is here and all the stuff is ready to go for Monday. Oh, I got to tell you something that Fred did that was so sweet, he said grace before we ate and he asked that God watch over you and all the others serving our country. I was so touched by that."

"He seems like a great kid," Charlie nodded, "and I think he's got a little crush on you. Can't say that I blame him on that, I know I sure do."

"I've kind of noticed that one babe," she grinned and shook her red hair, "he thinks he's keeping it hidden, but really, not so much."

'Well just be easy with him baby, we boys act tough, but first loves are very hard on us," Charlie spoke with a knowledge born experience, "Mrs. Thompson broke my heart in tenth grade when she announced she was going to have a baby. She was going to be my wife before you took over my brain. Just let him down easy red, you've got to be tough act to get over, I know I can't."

"With kid gloves baby, with kid gloves," she assured him, "He almost cried over the desk, his Great-grand-father had one just like it, that they lost in a fire or something, and when he sees' your "Galaxy Wars" action figure collection he's gonna freak!"

"I thought I detected the "source" flowing through him," Charlie laughed, "maybe you shouldn't unpack the "Star Wars" stuff yet."

They both laughed and let the silence settle between them again. They both leaned in and kissed the webcam's and pulled back, not wanting the chat to end, but knowing it had to, "I hate to say goodbye red, but other guys are waiting," his voice cracked just a little as he spoke.

"I know baby," her voice was choked by the tears she wouldn't let fall in front of him, "You keep your head down and don't do anything foolish, ok? I've got a very cold spot next to me in bed that I need you to warm."

"God I love you so much red," Charlie whispered as he blew her a kiss, "What the hell did I ever do to deserve you?"

"You loved me," she touched the screen as one single tear rolled down her face.

"Always red, always," he smiled and the picture faded as the connection was broken.

She sat there for a moment, her hand on the screen, feeling the warmth, imagining it was from Charlie's hand, and let the tears come that she had fought back before. She wondered if people really understood what a sacrifice the whole family of a military person made so that the job could be done.

They walked hand in hand through fields of wild flowers, talking of the future, before lying down and making love under the bright sun as birds chirped a song for them, and Melissa spoke Charlie's name out loud as the dream continued.

.

Spencer sat on the couch watching some strange old horror movie about a can of radioactive waste that fell off a truck near a beach and created some kind of monsters that was killing the surfers on the beach. He stood as the commercial for the pillow shaped like a woman's butt came on, he had ordered one last week and they said it was natures perfect pillow, and walked to the peephole in the door. Carly had been home for hours now and was upstairs asleep, but Sam was still out and it was now well past twelve-thirty and he was worried and just a little mad. Sam was like a sister to him and he didn't appreciate her being out so late without at least a call. He intended to have a talk with her when she got home.

"Home," he said out loud and laughed.

He wondered if Sam felt like this was her home, as he looked at the apartment. She spent more time here than her own and he sure as hell had the grocery bills to prove that. He wondered if she were asked if she would say he was a brother to her or just a friend.

"She may never speak to me again after I get done chewing her ass for being so late," he said to no one as he walked back and plopped down on the couch as the movie started again, a beach girl being snatched up by some zipper backed monster, and looked at his watch yet again.

.

As they left "Steakburger", Sam and Freddie thanked the three workers for letting Mutt come in and eat, and then walked out into the night. Freddie looked at his watch and whistled very softly as Mutt wiggled in his arms and crawled onto his shoulder with a sigh and looking for all the world like he was hugging Freddie, he stretched out on his broad shoulder and rested, his eyes closing.

"I think he likes you," Sam smiled as she ran a soothing hand over the dogs back, "he has good taste."

Sam didn't know why she said it, but she had never met anything more in her life than she did that. She found her arm around his waist again and that she was leaning into Freddie's right side, her right hand on Mutt's back. The dog's breathing was comforting to her, he was half asleep, and she knew he was at peace on Freddie's shoulder.

"It's twelve o'clock," Freddie whispered, so as not to disturb Mutt, "we better head to Pallmart and get this little dude a collar, some food, wee-wee pads, shampoo, and a toy or two."

Sam grinned from ear to ear and bounced, gently so Mutt wasn't disturbed, and whispered excitedly, "We're gonna keep him?"

"Well we can't leave our child out here alone can we?" he smiled at her and she felt a lump form in her throat.

"Oh he's our "child" now?" she slipped a finger into one of his belt loops and tugged him closer to her.

"You got it," is all he said, his right arm settling on her shoulder as they walked.

Mutt, through half-lidded eyes, yawned and settled into a peaceful and light sleep, his new mom and dad making him feel safe and protected for the first time in his young life. He knew he would live and die for these two humans and they for him.

.

Despite her reputation, even Sam wasn't one to just be out walking at midnight on the city streets, yet here she was, walking, holding on to a man, it stunned her that somewhere along the way Freddie had grown into one, walking down the city streets without a care in the world. As much as she liked Will, she wouldn't be walking down the street with him at the moment, but with Freddie she had no fears or worries. The idea that Mutt was now their "child" left a large part of her mind in giddy confusion, and her with a very sticky problem to work through and no idea how.

She was very much into Will, she still wanted to kiss him again, but something was happening between herself and Freddie and she was powerless to fight it. More to the point, she didn't want to fight it one little bit.

As they walked into "Pallmart" a greeter, neither of them knew they had greeters that late at night, came up to them smile firmly in place, "I'm sorry but you can't bring your dog in the store, store rules," the man, sixty if he was a day, said in a friendly tone, his breath smelling of pork rinds and root beer.

Freddie's face flashed with a pained and angry expression as he brought Mutt down into his arms, holding him like a baby, as his eyes slit open for a moment and then closed again with a small grunt, "How dare you call our child a dog," Freddie began, his indignant rant an octave or so higher than it had to be, so everyone could hear, "Mutt can't help his physical handicaps and appearance, but to call my son a dog, how dare you. Where is the manager? I want to see the manager right now!"

Sam buried her face in Freddie's chest, giving the appearance of crying over the insult to her child, in truth biting Freddie's shirt to keep from laughing out loud at his "fly by the seat of his pants" bluff he was running on the greeter. She didn't know he had it in him and besides being tickled and proud of him, she found herself enjoying his smell and wanting much more than a hug from him.

Everyone at the front of the store as well as everyone within earshot was now focused on the three people standing at the front doors. The greeter's smile had dissolved into a look of pure confusion and fear combined, "Sir I assure you that I meant…"

"Oh I know, people never "mean any harm", but when Mutt gets old enough to understand what people are saying do you think "I meant no harm" is going to make him feel better or sooth his hurt feelings and bruised psyche?" Freddie laid the guilt on thick and almost slipped once and laughed, but got himself back under control.

Sam, with great effort pulled herself away from Freddie's chest, the tears of laughter giving her the wounded and crying look of a mother hurt by her sons insult, and with as straight a face as she could muster and her most indigent tone spoke to Freddie, "Come on honey, let's just go to "Bullseye" and do our shopping!"

"What seems to be the problem here," a young, no more than twenty to twenty-five year old pimpled faced, man asked, walking up with fear in his eyes as he spoke to the greeter, "Terry?"

"Well Terry here called my son," Sam was now in full blown mother's rage mode, "called my son a dog and refused us entry to this store is the problem, and the solution is we're going somewhere else to shop that doesn't discriminate against a helpless child's handicap."

"Mam, I want to assure you that "Pallmart" does not now nor will we ever discriminate against anyone," the young man fearfully spoke in as loud a tone as he could so everyone could hear, "Please accept my deepest apologies for any misunderstanding that may have been had between you and Terry or this store. Please accept this," he produced a fifty dollar gift card and handed it to Sam, "and shop tonight on "Pallmart" as my apology."

"Thank you sir, you are a kind soul, thank you," Sam and Freddie walked into the store as Terry and the manager, who never gave his name, began to talk quietly.

They sprinted to the pet aisle, just making it around the shelf before they broke down into fits of laughter.

When she was able to breath, Sam gave Freddie a slight, not enough to wake Mutt, still lying in Freddie's arms, but enough for him to notice, "I can't believe you did that Freddie, not only am I damned impressed that you did it, but I'm damned impressed you did it so well. I didn't know you were so damned devious. I'm stunned and I now turn over my crown as world's best scam-artist over to you and bow in your presents. I am humbled by your skill."

"Careful princess, next thing you know you'll want to kiss me," he smirked at her, his eyes locked on hers, both stepping closer towards each other, lips mere inches apart, when the overhead speaker announced that they needed stockers in the back to unload a truck.

The couple stared at each other, everything else forgotten but each other, and then Mutt stirred, yawned and gave a small yelp, announcing that he wanted petting and attention. They blushed at each other and then turned to the little bundle of fur and began to love on him, much to his pleasure.

Someone had left an empty shopping cart on the aisle so they took it and began to shop. They found a purple collar and leash for Mutt and three toys that caught his eye. After getting a food and water bowl, they got a bag of puppy food and several cans of food as well they found a nice sized bed for him to sleep on and two packages of wee-wee pads as well. They notice that the aisle had a machine that for five dollars would make a name tag for your dog and made one with Mutt's name, giving his address as Bushwell care of Freddie's apartment.

"No way in hell crazy …I mean your mom is going to let you keep a dog, especially one off the street," Sam shook her head.

"I think you'd be surprised," he grinned, "Mom has kind of turned a corner on things, besides she really loves dogs."

"Really?"

"Really, she loves them," his eyes had a twinkle that Sam found beguiling, "besides who wouldn't love this face?" he held Mutt up beside his own face, the tail wagging and hitting his neck.

'Who wouldn't love both those faces,' Sam thought as her goofy grin returned.

Sam gave the card to Freddie as they checked out and she held the dog. The manager hung around the perimeter of the register while Freddie set the items on belt. He turned a bright shade of red when he saw the items and even redder when he saw Freddie pay with the card. He walked over and then saw Mutt in Sam's arms and exploded.

"One damn minute," he turned to Freddie, who had the bags in his hands, "that's not a baby, it's a goddamn dog."

Sam mumbled something that the manager couldn't understand and he turned to her, "What?"

She mumbled again and this time he leaned further in, "What did you say?"

Freddie was already past her, heading to the door, "I said," she spoke loudly, "What did the five fingers say to the face?"

"How the hell should I know and what has that got to do with this fleabag being in MY store," he was now almost blue with rage.

"Everything," she smiled as she shifted Mutt, who growled at the man yelling at his human, "the five fingers said to the face," she brought her right hand back and as she opened her palm and brought it in contact with his face said what she was doing, "SLAP!"

She took off as the manager, she noticed his name tag said Woody, stood stunned for a few seconds, unsure of what just happened.

When he finally snapped out of his stupor, he gave chase across the parking lot after the two of them. When he caught up with them he couldn't speak at all because he was gasping for breath. He bent over hands on his knees sucking in huge amounts of air before he stood up.

Sam looked at him, "Sorry about that but we had to get you out of the store. We're time travelers from the future and we came to warn you."

Confused, he looked at her and all he could do was say, "What?"

"We have brought you a message from the future," Freddie looked at Sam, unable to hide his smirk, because he had fallen for this one himself when he was twelve.

"What is it?" Woody asked hopeless lost at all that was happening.

"The warning is," open palm bitch slap two, this one knocking him down, "Never call my dog a fleabag or I'll bitch slap you."

Sam and Freddie walked off leaving Woody rubbing his face and trying to figure out what had just happen. The sound of the couple's laughter echoed all around him.

.

With his new collar and name tag in place, they walked Mutt back to Bushwell. He pranced like he was master of the world and went pee and doddle, Sam laughed at Freddie calling it that, and after they cleaned it up, he walked into Bushwell like he had lived there his whole life.

Sam picked him up and held him as they rode up to the eighth floor, her arm around Freddie's waist again. She stood in Freddie's room as he sat up the wee-wee pads, food and water bowls, and the bed. When he was done, she sat Mutt down and he got a drink of water, looked at them, tail wagging, and walked onto his new bed and scratched it a few times, then lay down and fell right to sleep.

They slipped out of Freddie's room and he walked her over to Carly's door.

"Someone sure made himself right at home," she smiled.

"Like he'd lived here his whole life," Freddie laughed, "Well princess it's been a blast but it's almost two in the morning and we better get some sleep."

Without thinking, Sam stood on her toes and kissed Freddie's cheek, "I've had the best time of my life tonight," she whispered.

He hugged her and kissed the top of her head, "Ditto, night princess," he turned and went inside his apartment, locked the door, and pounded his head on the doorjamb, "Crap."

.

Sam stared at his door, just looking, and thought, 'Crap! Now what am I gonna do? It's like I'm living on "90210" or something."

.

As she opened the door quietly and slipped in, Spencer popped out from behind the door and scared the shit out of her, which got him a judo flip to the floor.

"Damnit Spencer, you almost gave me a heart attack," she whispered shouted.

"I can taste my spleen," Spencer groaned as he stood up, his right hand rubbing at the small of his back, "Listen Sam I know I'm not family really, but I love you, and not in that creepy internet Spam pervert way, but like a sister. I worry about you and … well… while you're staying here Sam I kind of need you to follow my curfew rule of twelve o'clock or at least call me when you're gonna be late ok," he looked down at her, both hands on her shoulders.

Sam was touched by Spencer's words and ducked her head down a little bit, "I will Spence, from now on. Sorry if I worried you."

"It's alright kido, I never told you before," he hugged her and smiled, "So did you have as much fun on your first date as you did your second one tonight?" he had a glint in his eye as he asked.

"Spencer I only had one date tonight, and yes Will and I had a good time," she told him.

"Ok, so what did you and Freddie do then?" he loved how easy he was able to push her into his little verbal trap.

"We talked, walked around, and went out to eat, that's all," she grinned, "nothing more. How did you know we did anything?"

"I see things, so you walked around, talked, went out to eat, for almost four hours," his smile was so big that his ears almost disappeared, "in my day we called that a date. It's ok Sam, I mean it's not like you and Will are a couple yet or anything, you date whoever you want."

"Spencer, Freddie and I didn't have a date," she spoke slower this time in hopes that he would get it.

"Sam, do you know how you get into law school?" he took another road in the conversation to try to pull her back to his point.

"You go to law school I guess," she answered confused.

"You get into law school by applying for it after you graduate from college," he told her, "and you have to have some intelligence to do that, so despite the fact I act like a dumbass most of the time, I'm not stupid. I just found out that acting that way makes people not expect so much of you. Dad wouldn't let me be guardian of Carly if I was a total screw-up, would he?"

"No I guess not," Sam said.

"So as an educated man, I know you had a date with Freddie whether or not you know it," he smiled at her as she sat down heavily on the couch at the statement, "and like it or not honey, you got a serious case of the hots for Freddie going on."

Sam mouth dropped open, and she suddenly felt the cold hard hand of reality slap her in the face, "Oh shit, you're right Spence, how the hell did this happen? When did it happen? Damnit, I like Will Spencer, I really do, so how can I be fangirling over the nub?"

"Welcome to the world of a teenage girl Sam," he smiled and patted her on the shoulder, "Carly does this every week, hell sometimes three guys at a time. Don't worry about it, your heart will steer you in the right direction, till then just hold on and enjoy the ride kido. I'm going to bed now, you get some sleep."

He hugged her and went into his bedroom and shut the door. Sam sat on the couch looking at nothing and seeing everything. She replayed the night in her head and found she could remember everything down to the way Freddie's shoes were tied, but she couldn't even remember what she and Will talked about. One word kept bouncing around her brain like one of those superballs that bounce forever, destroying any other thought but one:

. 'BENSON'

.

.

I had a ball with this chapter. I hope you liked it. Next chapter we will learn more secrets about Freddie and go on his date with Tara and her friends.

Please Review!

. **Read**

**The CABAL**

**annierocket aussiemma axel100****BaalRulesbeforeskylines****BoxOfTrinkets Braxenimos Coyote Laughs****Deviocity****Dwyn Arthur FMellark heartlinesiCarlyAngst****JamesTheGreater KeyLimePie14 KingxLeon21 Moviepal Myjumpingsocks ober22 Pieequals36 rebeccaofsbfarm****Rhiabrey Skye seddiefan2009sidouxamer****Spinlight Tech-Man****ThatSamGirl TheWrtrInMe Twowritehands User1-FlynnK Virgoleo23 Waffels Of Doom WhiteKnightroWildPomegranate xXACCEBXx**

**From fluff, to face melting angst.**

**The Cabal authors produce the best.**

**Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial**


	8. Sunday Morning Coming Down 1

Sunday Morning Coming Down

.

A/N= The title is from a song by Kris Kristofferson, and proof of my eclectic taste in everything in life. The story I hope is all mine, and helps the characters grow even more. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

..

.

Sam stood in the sand watching the tide roll in and out listening to the sounds of the waves crashing. She knew she wasn't alone, standing there in her red one-piece with a white sundress over it, but she wasn't scared and turned around. She saw Will on her left in the same cloths he had worn on their date. He smiled and waved at her, motioning for her to come to him. She also felt the presence of someone to her right, once again not scared, and turned to look. Unlike the dream before, this time she could see it was Freddie and that Mutt stood by his side, waging his tail. Without a word he stuck his hand out and smiled at her. She felt glued to the beach because she couldn't move; all she could do was look from side to side at the two men.

Sam sat up in bed and looked at the clock, seven-thirty, and scooted back so that her back was against the headboard. She had only been asleep for a few hours, and though tired she knew she wasn't going to fall back to sleep now.

'I can't even get away from it in my dreams,' she thought as she played with a small piece of thread that had come loose from the comforter, 'Will is a great guy and I like him a lot, but Freddie is like a favorite blanket, he warms me up when I'm cold and I love wrapping myself up in him. I feel so safe and sure with him.'

After a few minutes of solving nothing she got up slipped into her house shoes and started downstairs to make breakfast. She figured she might as well eat while driving herself nuts.

.

Freddie got out of the shower and dried off. He then wrapped the towel around himself and began to shave. Once done he put on aftershave, cologne, and deodorant. As he brushed his teeth he felt something brush against his leg and he looked down to see Mutt sitting at his feet looking up at him. After he rinsed and used mouthwash he bent down and picked the dog up and scratched his belly. Mutt appeared to be in heaven.

"Let's get you some food little man," walking as he spoke, "You must be hungry."

He got a scoop of food and placed it in the bowl beside the water he had put out for him last night. He then sat Mutt down and sat on the bed.

Mutt walked over, sniffing the whole way, to the wee-wee pad and promptly peed and pooped. When he finished he sniffed and with his back legs scraped the pad like he was covering up what he had done. He then pranced over to Freddie like he was the King of Siam, sat down by his foot as if to say, "See what a good thing I did, you may pet me now."

He reached down and scratched behind the puppy's ear, causing the left hind leg to start thumping the ground, "Found a ticklish spot did I?"

Mutt walked over to the bowl of food after the petting and began to eat as Freddie pulled his dress pants and shirt on and then his tie and dress shoes. He then picked up his phone and texted Sam.

Fb1: U up?

Sp1: yes

Fb1: Can you watch Mutt for a while I have an errand to run

Sp1: Bring him over. Making breakfast.

Fb1: On my way

.

.

As Freddie entered Carly's apartment the smell of bacon, ham, eggs, and biscuits floated pleasantly through the room. He smiled at the sight of Sam at the counter rolling out dough for homemade biscuits, flour on her hands and apron. She looked up and did something that surprised him; she smiled from ear to ear, wiped her hands off with a towel and came over and took Mutt from Freddie, "There's my little man, yes it is, there's my little guy."

Mutt's tail wagged so fast that it created a small cool breeze. He couldn't get close enough to Sam, giving her kisses and trying to climb on her small shoulder.

"Did momma's little man miss her, huh, did you miss momma," she had lapsed into the baby talk again as she petted Mutt, "Have you and Daddy had breakfast yet?"

Her smile when she looked up at him caused Freddie to grin and shake his head no, "Little man ate, but I bet he could be persuaded to eat a little more."

"So what is it that you have to do so early on a Sunday morning dressed up and wearing a tie?" Sam asked as she caught herself admiring the way the pants and shirt made him look and how his cologne made her dizzy, in a very good way.

"Just a few things with mom," he tossed the lie out like it was second nature to him and she bought it, "you know the usual nubby stuff."

She sat Mutt on the table and went to wash her hands, which brought a whine from him and caused her to turn around, "Oh baby, its ok momma's just washing her hands so she can cook, don't cry."

At the sound of her voice and Freddie sitting down at the table, his tail began to wag again and for him all was right with the world.

"I brought some food one of his toys and some wee-wee pads," Freddie told her as he watched Mutt stretch out on the table, "which reminds me, our child is a genius. He pooped and peed on the pad this morning like a good boy."

Sam smiled as she turned and looked at the little pup, who was rolling on his back like a wiggle worm, and once again launched into baby talk, "Well then I think someone deserves a piece of momma's private bacon."

Freddie grabbed his heart and made an exaggerated motion like he was going to fall to the floor and then leaned down so his face was on the table, "Mutt you'll never know how special that makes you, see MOMMA DOESN'T SHARE FOOD."

Mutt crawled along his belly till he reached Freddie's head and began to lick the end of his nose.

Sam marveled at how handsome Freddie looked playing with the puppy. She had a sudden flash of being in a fifties sit-com as the wife fixing breakfast for her husband and child. For a few seconds it contented her more than anything in her life ever had and then an ice cold hand of fear gripped her.

'What the hell is going on here, what's happening to me,' she thought as she whirled around and flipped the bacon, cheese, and olive omelet over like a skilled chef, 'there's no way he's even thinking about me the same way. I'm probably just reading too much into all this.'

She turned back and caught him looking at her with a glint in his eye and felt the skipped beat of her heart. She turned quickly and reached for a plate and put the omelet on it and turned with a smile, "One bacon, cheese, and olive omelet ready for my men," she didn't catch what she had said or Freddie's left eyebrow raise as she set the plate down in front of him and rub Mutt's back, causing him to roll over and give her a doggy grin as she scratched his belly. She looked up and saw Freddie smiling at her and the secure and contented feeling she had had last night returned in an instant. She didn't look away this time and smiled back, raising her own eyebrow at him, "What?"

"You look like a natural doing this, it looks good on you," he never broke eye contact with her nor she with him. She stepped closer and he began to stand.

Spencer's door opened and he came out, neon orange robe tied around him sniffing the air. He caught just a quick glance at the two teenagers in his kitchen, looking for all the world like they were about to kiss, before they hastily turned from each other. He smiled and quickly put on his "dumb Spencer" face and shuffled into the kitchen with a stretch and a yawn, "Morning people who don't live here yet eat my food and run up my electric bills anyway."

"Morning Spencer," Sam said, stirred another omelet into the pan, making a sizzling sound, and turned to face him, "want an omelet or just scrambled eggs?"

Spencer wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet in a hug, "I take it all back Sammy, you are welcome in my home anytime and I'll take whatever Freddie and the … DOG!"

He turned her around so that she was in front of him as he grabbed a large wooden spoon, holding it like a club.

"Spencer, how dare you talk about our son like that," Sam laughed and walked over to pick Mutt up, he was standing at the edge of Freddie's plate eating little bits of omelet that Freddie would break off and hold out for him. She hugged the puppy and scratched him under his chin, much to his delight.

She walked him over to Spencer, who pulled away some, and held him up close to Spencer's face. Mutt sniffed the air, turned to look at Sam and Freddie, and then turned and licked at Spencer's nose.

Spencer slowly relaxed and allowed the dog to lick his nose, "Aww, he's not going to bite my face off after all," Spencer smiled. His fear of dogs, while well founded, didn't seem to keep the little puppy from working his way into the thirty-one year olds heart.

Spencer reached out and took the wiggling puppy in his hands gently. He felt a phantom pain shot down his left leg where the dog had bitten him when he was ten. It had caused him to get twenty stiches, rabies shots for a month, and a lifelong fear of dogs that had crippled him from going to the park.

He managed to hold the puppy and not freak out, but his nerves were stretched to the limit. It was one of the few things that he never talked about and that no one knew. He was just about to lose his cool; he felt the last nerve he had begin to fray, when Sam took him back because someone knocked at the door. Spencer was relieved and bounded for the door as quick as Mutt left his hands, a little sweat on his upper lip.

He opened the door to find Dr. Tom Trent standing there with a look of worry on his face, "Spencer, is your sister up?" he asked.

"Sorry doc, not yet," he looked kind of worried at the doctor, wondering if it was something serious, "can I help you?"

"I just got a call from the hospital and one of my patient's has had a relapse and I need to go right away," spencer noticed that Max, the doctor's son was standing behind his father, "is there any way she or you could watch him?"

"Sure," Spencer bent down, he had been home when Carly had watched the boy before and the two had hit it off, "come on in Maxanator, we have a puppy and breakfast going on in here."

Max smiled and then spotted Mutt wiggling in Sam's arms and bound over to pet the squirming bundle of fur.

Dr. Trent came in with a small bag of what Spencer could only guess had things for the three year old to do and extra cloths and pull-ups. He set the bag on the counter and Mutt, in Sam's arms as Max petted him, looked at him and began to growl, his little tail darting between his legs.

Sam laughed and looked at the dog as Freddie stood and began to scratch the puppies back, "Well little man," she grinned and looked at Freddie, who looked just as amused as she did, "you not like anyone getting too close to momma?"

Dr. Trent smiled and reached out to pet the dog only to have Mutt snap and bark at him. Sam and Freddie looked at each other and then rubbed on Mutt's back, "Easy killer," Freddie laughed and turned to the doctor, "Sorry, he's never done that before. Don't know what brought that on."

Dr. Trent smiled, "He must know I'm a doctor," he laughed and turned to Spencer, "These are his things, I'll pay you both when I get back. Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver."

Spencer waved his hands, "No problem, happy to help, hope everything goes ok."

"Max you be good and mind," he hugged the boy and headed out the door in a rush.

Sam sat Max down and handed Mutt to Freddie, who sat and the two of them finished the omelet on Freddie's plate, and asked the boy, "Would you like some eggs?"

"Could I haf tum crambled eggs?" he asked with a bright gleam in his eyes.

"You sure can," she smiled and turned to crack open two eggs as she flipped Spencer's omelet over and then poured the boy some orange juice. When she bent back up from pouring she noticed Freddie smiling at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, just thinking and watching," he said as he cut the last piece of his omelet, giving Mutt half and taking the other for himself.

Sam bumped her thigh against his shoulder and smiled, "Well cut it out, gives me the creeps."

As Sam walked back to the stove Freddie looked at his watch and his eyes bugged out a little, "Oh man I didn't know it was that late," he stood and took his plate to the sink and began to head for the door.

Sam scooped up Mutt and followed him to the door, "Bye daddy," she waved Mutts paw for him.

"Bye little man, be good," he rubbed the dogs back, kissed his head, and then, with no thought at all, kissed Sam's cheek, "Later princess."

Sam stared at the door and felt the heat on her cheeks. She couldn't move or speak. She felt like she was glued to the floor. It only lasted for a few seconds, but felt like a lifetime.

When she did turn around she saw Spencer sitting at the table looking at her with a smile on his face, "Oh shut up Spencer," she commanded as she sat Mutt down and set out a wee-wee pad for him, which he promptly broke in, "One word right now and I spit on your omelet. Understand that?"

"I didn't and won't say a word," making no attempt at losing the smile on his face.

.

Freddie pulled into the parking lot at eight-fifty-three with a sigh. He had just gotten here in time. He walked up the few steps and shook the greeters had and took a program. As he chose a seat near the front some men came out of doors on either side of the small stage and sat in the front row, followed by three men who took the stage and one man who sat one row back from the first men. One of the men on stage stood up and walked to the podium and began to speak, "We'd like to thank you for joining us in worship on this Lords day. I a few announcements to make before brother Home leads us in song."

Freddie did this every Sunday whether or not his mother was home or not. His friends, even his mom didn't know he did it. This was his thing, his one thing that he did that was wholly his and he liked it that way.

As they sang a hymn he felt some of the impossible weight that had been pulling him down lift. Church was like a battery charger for him. It renewed his strength and his soul and allowed him time away from everyone and everything. He concentrated on the sermon and his place in the overall plan for the world.

A tall and lean man of no real discernible stepped to the podium and began to speak, "Todays lesson is about accountability. Not just accountability to the Lord for your sins, but accountability to others as well. If you'll open your bibles up to II Samuel 12, you'll see the oft told story of King David and Bathsheba. David had spied Bathsheba as she bathed and lust crept into his heart. He wanted her but she was married to one of his soldiers, but being a king he had a way to win her. He ordered his army into a fight and then told the generals to abandon her husband so that he alone fought and he alone would die. Now you have to admit that even for a man of God, as David was, that was pretty callous of him. The lust blocked out all the knowledge of right and wrong in David.

You know the rest of the story Bathsheba bares him a child who is deformed, causing David much pain and sorrow. Then God sent the prophet Nathan to David and had him tell him he had sinned and must repent. David was horrified at the news and fell to the ground begging the Lord to forgive him. Yes see David was held accountable for his sin with Bathsheba, but he accepted his accountability and found redemption because of it."

Freddie felt as though the preacher, Brother Don Loftis, had read his mind. He listened to the sermon and hung back as people filed out of the church doors. Don noticed him and walked back to where he was standing, "Freddie, you look troubled today. Would you like to talk?

"Yes sir," Freddie had come to respect and trust Don, he asked him to call him that, and kind of think of him as a father figure of sorts. He listened to Freddie and seemed to always have the right words for him when needed.

They stood and walked to the back of the church and into Don's office. Don sat behind an old oak desk, cluttered with books, papers, pictures, and a large assortment of pens. Freddie sat in the leather chair in front of the desk and looked across at the preacher.

"Girl problems Freddie?" Don smiled.

Freddie's mouth flew open and he felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, "How did you know?"

"You're a eighteen year old boy, therefor girls are at the top of the list," he smiled and leaned back, "So tell me what's up."

Freddie launched into the whole story, leaving nothing out. Just saying it out loud seemed to help somewhat and he finally relaxed some.

Don listened intently, hands folded in front of him his chin resting on his thumbs, and when he finished Don leaned back, index finger rubbing his chin.

"You know Freddie, it takes a big man to seek out help with a problem," he said, "but it sounds to me like you have answered your own question."

"How?" Freddie was very confused now.

"Well you seem to understand that the older woman is married and that it's wrong, not to mention a sin," the older man started, "you know what's right and I know you Freddie you'll do the right thing. Now about this Tara, you have to understand that being friends and friendly doesn't mean she's not thinking about more from you. You need to explain the boundaries of this friendship and keep the lips in neutral . If she still wants to do things with you I don't think that would be a problem as long as you keep it in the boundaries. Now about Sam, you've talked about her before and it seems to me that there is something there. I know you two have fought before, but are you aware of the fact that you take on a different look when you talk about her?"

"No sir I didn't, but she's dating someone, I can't just step between them and try to take her away from him," Freddie's head was beginning to hurt from all the confusing tangles that had become his life, "it wouldn't be right."

"I'm not telling you to Freddie," Don's smooth and comforting voice helped Freddie's head somewhat, "You my boy have a very serious disease that won't kill you but you may wish it would sometimes."

"What kind of disease?" he asked, more confused than ever.

"You son have teenageitis, and there is no cure," Don laughed at his own joke, till he noticed Freddie wasn't smiling, "Oh come on Freddie, you have to admit most boys your age would love to trade places with you right now. The one thing I'm sure of Freddie is that you have a very strong moral compass in your heart and you'll do the right thing when the time comes."

"So I go from three to zero?" Freddie asked.

"No, one you never had or will, one wants more from you than you can give, and the other one, well you may just have to man up and let her find out what she wants first, let her date this guy and see what happens," Don's words sank in with Freddie, along with the feeling that he just might end up playing with his toes in a rubber room somewhere.

"Don't look so down Freddie, it gets better, I promise it does," Don stood and Walked Freddie back into the church, "as far as your friend Sam goes, I don't see any reason to change what you're doing," a ghost of a grin flashed across the older man's face, "sometimes the sidelines can be blurred a little."

"But what about all these feelings for Melissa?" he asked as they reached the front doors, "how do I get rid of them, when are they going to go away?"

Don smiled as he patted Freddie's back, "Oh I'm afraid that that will be with you for a while Freddie, I still think about my fifth grade teacher once and awhile. But it gets better, I promise."

Freddie smiled and thanked the preacher and began to walk toward his car. Just as he got to the door and opened it Don shouted at him, "Freddie, nothing in the rules about taking your friend a small gift, you know something she likes. Give her something to think about, although I bet she already is thinking about it."

Freddie grinned and waved as he got in and started the car, his mind already set on his first stop before going home. For the first time in days he felt as if the weight that had held him down was lifted and he had a clear vision of what he was going to do.

.

Tara sat up and blinked as she fought to clear the cobwebs of sleep from her mind. Her dream had been so hot that she hated to wake up. She and Freddie were on the set of iCarly and were making out on the car thing. She stood up and stretched a sinfully wicked smile on her face as she thought back to a particular part of the dream, and made her way to the bathroom across the hall. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself after using the toilet, and for the first time in a long time wasn't horrified by what she saw.

'Sure, I have massive bed hair, matter in the corner of my eyes, no make-up, and my boobs are hanging a little low with no bra on, but damn I don't look too bad at all,' she turned first one way and then the other checking herself out as she did, she cupped her hands under her breast, over her t-shirt, and lifted them some, 'Thirty-six D's, not really too shabby there girl. The right outfit and these puppies will shine. Screw those fifty-five pounds soaking wet bitches, guys love the big hooters.'

She laughed her own joke as she loaded her toothbrush with toothpaste and began to brush. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been so happy and excited about life as she was now.

"Teddy bear, hurry up and get ready, you me and mom are going to "Pancake House" for breakfast," her father shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Ok, daddy, give me a few minutes," she shouted as she quickly pulled her brush out and began to try and tame her wild bed hair as she walked back into her room to change. She removed the t-shirt and shorts she wore to bed and wrapped a towel around herself and walked back to the bathroom to shower, hearing her mother coughing as she always did as she smoked the first cigarette of the day, and satisfied she had most of the kinks out of her hair, put the brush down and turned the shower on. She unwrapped the towel and looked at herself nude for a second. For the first time she saw herself through new eyes.

'Ok, sure I've got extra pounds,' she thought as she hopped into the shower, 'but I got a nice shape, tata's to die for and a nice butt. Freddie and those guys thought I looked good, hell even Carly and Sam said I did. Screw the bullies and jerks from my grade, they wouldn't know a good woman if one came up and blew them.'

She laughed as she stuck her head under the water and began to wash it. She started to sing a song in her head and dance as she washed her hair, feeling better about herself and her life than she had in years. She was so wrapped up in dancing and her own little world she didn't see or hear her mother enter the bathroom, but she almost fell when she heard her mother cough, a cough that echoed off the walls like thunder and hurt her ears and her own chest as it rumbled through the small room.

"Baby hurry up, and when you dress wear something comfortable ok, daddy is taking us to the fair today," she heard her mom say, the rasp of her voice sounding harsh, and she stuck her head out of the shower and into a cloud of smoke.

"Ok, mom, be just a few minutes," she coughed and smiled at her mom.

She rinsed her hair and stepped out of the shower to dry off. She then wrapped the towel around herself and grabbed her hair dryer and started to dry her hair. The one thing she hated about long hair was how long it took to dry, so she set it for the hottest setting and began to work her brush through its lengths.

Fifteen minutes later she bounded down the steps in tan shorts and a t-shirt with a picture of a pit-bull dog with its paw draped over a lamb with a caption underneath that said, "Show me the bully", and her favorite sneakers , "Well I'm ready."

Twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of "Pancake House" and drove around until they found two spots open. As Mr. Rollins pulled into one of the spots another car pulled in beside him. As the Rollins family got out, Tara noticed a familiar face.

"Will is that you?" she smiled and asked.

"Tara, hey chick," he pulled her into a quick hug, "how you doing?"

"Great," she pointed at the restaurant behind them, "great minds think alike."

"Yeah, my dad is taking my mom, me, and nuthug of a brother to the fair today," Will said as the two families walked into the restaurant.

"My dad has the same idea," she grinned, "Is Sam coming along?"

"No, I almost asked her, but it's way too soon to force my family on her," he laughed.

The two families sat at tables next to each other and Will and Tara continued their talking as they looked at the menu.

"I'm getting the birth to death chicken plate," he told her.

Laughing she asked, "What is the "birth to death chicken" plate pray tell?"

"The eggs and fried chicken breast filet, you got birth, the eggs, and death, the chicken breast," he explained to her.

At first she wasn't sure exactly what to say or do with the information, but slowly she grinned and began to chuckle, which turned into laughing. Soon both were laughing and when the waitress came and Will ordered the platter they both began laughing again. Tara ordered the same and they both laughed again and then spent the time till the order came talking about the trip to the beach and the fun they had. The topic of Sam and the clothesline she put on Dale and Will came up as they joked about how competitive she was.

"The only person she didn't outright attack was Freddie," Tara observed, "she attacked him but not as tough as she did everyone else."

"She said it was because he bruises like a peach," Will laughed, "but those two have something really strong together. She told me that for the longest time he's been the only guy she could trust to be friends with."

"Freddie told me she used to torment the hell out of him when they were little," she said with a slight grin on her face, "but that as the years went on they just became closer till they finally became good friends."

"I was sure they were a couple when I saw her at the party with him, but she said no," he shook his head, "and Freddie came over later and gave me the ins and out of what she liked and disliked. I kind of felt like he was her brother or father because he let me know, in a nice way, I'd better not hurt her."

"Freddie did that?" Tara looked shocked, "I'd never have thought he'd do something like that."

"He's very protective of his friends, Sam said," he took his elbow off the table as the orders and were set in front of them, "she told me he was very protective about you, something about a buttersock and places that should never be kicked."

Tara felt very happy at the thought of Freddie being protective of her. She and Will talked all through breakfast as they completely tuned out the rest of the crowd and their families. They talked about favorite sports, they both loved to watch football, movies, school, families, and about themselves. Within minutes their speech fell into an easy and rhythmic pattern as they lost themselves in the moment.

As their parents paid, Will and Tara walked outside, where he held the door open for her, and kept talking as they made their way to their respective cars. Harry, Will's ten year old brother and the bane of his existence, slowly followed behind the two of them. He held two wet paper towels, one in each hand, ready to throw them at them. He crept to within a few steps of them and just as he cocked both arms to throw the towels and yell their names, Tara spun around with the grace and speed of a gazelle and blasted the younger Graham with a "Galaxy War" water gun as Will shouted at his brother, wet towel now on the ground, and danced, "Yes, you little nuthug, we got your bratty little ass. Suck it little bro, SUCK IT!"

Tara began to laugh at Will and his dance of victory as his little brother fumed. Tara swore she saw steam coming of his short haircut head as he stood looking at both of them.

Tears began to run down his face as he screamed in rage, "You fat…!"

Will was on him before the Tee sound left his mouth, right hand on the back of his neck and his left hand gripping his underwear and pulling up in a powerful motion to the small of Harry's back, causing the boy's face to twist in pain, "You tell the pretty lady you're sorry for speaking mean to her ballsack, and I mean NOW, or I'll floss your ass with your underwear till I hit brain, you read me turd?"

"I'm gonna tell dad asshole," Harry spit out in an angry huff.

Will pulled the waistband of the underwear past the small of the back to the mid back, "How numbnuts with your underwear in the roof of your mouth?" another quick jerk brought the waistband to just under the shoulder blade, "Say sorry to the beautiful lady now before your nuts shoot up into your ass!"

Realizing he couldn't win at this time, Harry lowered his head and in a soft tone, almost a whisper, said, "I'm sorry for calling you fat Tara, I didn't mean it, I was just mad. Will you forgive me?"

Tara had observed the whole exchange with a suppressed amusement. She had not been mad or upset by Will's younger brothers' remark, but she was secretly pleased that Will was, even shocked by it a little. She also found herself very happy he had said she was beautiful.

"That's alright Harry," she smiled at him, "apology accepted, and thanks."

With that, Will stretched the waistband of his brothers' underwear as far out as he could and released it. It snapped back quickly and painfully with a "thwack" sound and yelp from Harry.

He rubbed his back and tried to remove his underwear from his ass as the parents walked out of the restaurant together, "I'll get you brohoe; this isn't over, not by a long shot!"

"Yeah, yeah," Will laughed, "pull your underwear out of the crack of your ass first, and then talk smack cheesedick."

"I'll tell dad," Harry knew it was a bitch threat, but it was the only weapon he had left.

"And dad would take us home and no fair for anyone," Will grinned at his brother, "so you go right ahead nutsuck and tell daddy all about big bad Will!"

"Asshole," was the only parting shot Harry could come up with as the adults walked up to the cars.

Henry Rollins had quietly watched his daughter and the young man she was talking too and had been pleased with the way they seemed to get along. They laughed and talked and Henry noticed that both of them looked at each other just a little longer than they had to, which pleased him. He was sure that this boy Freddie was a nice kid, but he had told Tara he just wanted to be friends and this boy Will looked like he might want to be more than that.

"Well, since we're all going to the fair," Henry smiled at Will, "if it's ok with your folk's son, would you like to ride with us?"

Will smiled as he thought about all the trouble his little nuthug bro could give him and turned to his father, "Would that be cool with you pop?" he slowly raised his right hand behind his back and flipped his brother the bird with as much zeal as he could without it showing.

"Well I don't see why not," the elder Graham shook his head yes, "Got a feeling you two," he pointed toward Tara, "will be spending most of the day together anyway."

"Thanks pop," Will, not one to care what people thought about how close he was with most of his family, Will hugged his dad and mom, turned and grabbed his nuts at his brother and walked to Tara's side of the car and opened the door for her.

Henry looked at his daughter and the smile that lit her face as she looked at him and winked. As he went to open his door, Will saw his brother making an obscene gesture at him and called out, "Rollercoaster when we get there bro," which brought his father's eyes to Harry. He took one look at the gesture and slapped the back of the boys head.

"Harry, have you lost your mind," the elder Graham grabbed his son's ear and tugged hard, "I told you about stuff like that. You just earned a consequence for that little gesture young man. Henry, would you mind if we were a little late getting to the fair, my youngest son has just decided he would like to mow his grandmother's yard today rather than go to the fair, so we'll drop him off and meet you there."

"Not a problem," Henry chuckled as he got in the car, "see you there, at the Farris wheel?"

"Sounds like a plan," the elder Graham said over the fit his youngest son was pitching as he sat him down in the backseat, his ear still in hand.

Will took one last parting shot at Harry, shooting a bird and making a dipping sideways motion as he flipped it at him.

Harry tried in vain to yell and get his father to look and see what Will was doing, but his father wasn't buying it, and Harry's anger was now at full boil and he let slip the granddame of all cusswords, Will could read his lips, and he and Tara looked and laughed as Harry was yanked from the car and spanked in the parking lot.

They turned around when they couldn't see his beat red face anymore and continued to laugh as they looked ahead.

"You are so bad," Tara laughed.

Will raised his eyebrows and wiggled them at her with a mischievous grin, "You have no idea."

.

There is a lot more to come, but I wanted to get you all a little something to tide you over. I've had some health problems, but I'm doing some better now. As always let me know what you think.


	9. Sunday Morning Coming Down 2

Sunday Morning Coming Down 2

A/N: Yes I know and the irony that "Summer Of 12" isn't going to be done by the end of the summer of 12 is funny. The truth is I've got so many things going right now that I can't keep up with them all, but all of them will be finished I promise. On that note I've begun to post some original stories on FF's sister site at fiction press dot com

I hope you'll take a moment and swing by and read some of the stories there.

Carly rolled out of bed fifteen minutes after Freddie left and slipped on her robe and looked around for her house shoes. She had dreamed of Dale and her at the prom and after that to her room, and she was very happy as she hunted. She found them slightly under her bed and put them on. She then headed down the stairs to the first floor. She smelled the delicious breakfast long before she reached the kitchen. She did a double take when she saw Max sitting at the table eating eggs and then saw a small puppy skid around the corner and begin to bark at her fuzzy shoes.

"Morning cupcake," Sam smiled as she cracked open more eggs into the mixing bowl she was using, "omelet or scrambled eggs?"

Carly turned to see Spencer sitting at the bar smiling and eating an omelet himself, and shot him a WTF look and he shrugged his shoulders and kept eating, "Uh, omelet. You got mushrooms?"

"I can get some ready in a few seconds," Sam used a French accent that was very good, "anything else?"

"Cheese and ham?" Carly was still trying to wrap her head around Sam cooking two mornings in a row and cheerfully at that, the puppy now attacking her shoes with fierce determination, and the son of Tom Trent sitting and eating in her kitchen.

"So is anyone going to explain the dog chewing my slipper, or am I just going to find out later in the day?" she asked with sarcasm in her tone.

"Carly, he's not a dog he's a puppy, and his name is Mutt and he is mine and Freddie's child, aren't you Mutt," she bent down, the last part of her sentence spoken in baby talk, and then whistled softly at the puppy, "come her little man, come to momma."

Mutt rushed over and rolled over at her feet, paws in the air, as she began to scratch his belly. She picked him up and he began to kiss her face as he climbed toward her shoulder and settled in. Carly gave Sam a funny look and shook her head.

"Did you say yours and Freddie's child?"

"We went out for a midnight snack last night and this little fella bumped into us, no collar or anything, and we couldn't leave him out there all alone so we brought him home," Sam nuzzled the puppy with her cheek then kissed it, blowing Carly's mind in the process, "Freddie is keeping him at his place."

"Wait, Freddie's mom is letting him keep a dog?" Carly was sure that the earth would open up and swallow them whole.

Sam shook her head, "He said it wouldn't be a problem," she kissed Mutt again and set him down. He ran for the wee-wee pad, did his business and returned to the assault on Carly's fuzzy shoe. Sam began to chop the mushrooms up for Carly's omelet and then whipped the eggs before pouring them into the pan with a stylish flourish.

Carly, dragging a still chewing and growling Mutt, took a seat near Max and rubbed his hair, "Morning Max, what c'ya doing here?"

"Dad got a call and had to go to the hoppittle," he explained with his lisp mangling the word hospital.

"Yeah, so the little dude is staying with us till his dad gets back," Spencer stood and rubbed his full belly and then took the plate to the sink, "I said it was ok. Dr. Trent asked for you, but said I'd watch him till you got up."

"Spencer," Carly left her seat and grabbed her brother by the elbow, pulling him over to the corner of the kitchen, speaking in a hushed tone, "I'm going with Dale to go to the nursing home and visit his great-grandfather, I can't watch him today."

"Relax little sister," he patted her on the back, "I'll watch the little munchkin for you. You go and have a good time. You seem to really like this dude."

"I do Spencer," her face lit up as she talked, "He's really different than most of the boys I've been dating. He's got a level head on his shoulders and isn't out to just "be cool" and all that junk."

"I'm happy for you sis," Spencer gave her one of his bear hugs, picking her up for a second, and then sat her down and let her go.

Carly whispered again, "What is going on with Sam? She gets all undone about looking good for Will then spends part of the night with Freddie eating and adopting dogs? She calls it "their child" and she cooks made to order breakfasts two days in a row?"

"It's all cool Carly," Spencer wasn't about to tell Carly anything of what he knew and the truth behind Sam's change, "Sam's just growing up and finding out about life outside the Sam zone."

"Well it's freaking me out," Carly said as she watched her friend of many years moving through the kitchen like a wife and mother, a look of almost bliss on her face as she did, "Where's Freddie at? I expected to see the other half of the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo show here."

"Hey, that would be a cool iCarly bit; I love Sam, put Sam in a red wig and get Freddie to talk with a Cuban accent and sing Babalu or something," Spencer smiled at his own burst of creative genius, "and in answer to your question, he was here earlier and left all dressed up for some kind of errand or something."

Carly shook her head and turned to look at Max. She smiled at him but deep down she feared his presence. She had spent most of the first part of her date last night trying to get max's father out of her head, and had succeeded, but now looking into the younger Trent's face all she could do was think about his father and the mixed bag of emotions that he sent throughout her body. She once again found herself thinking about the wanton stares they had shared on the elevator yesterday, the way he had looked at her body in her bikini, the fire she had felt burning in her own loins as she looked into his hungry eyes.

"Earth to Carly, HELLO," Sam snapped Carly out of her intense flashback as she handed her a plate with her omelet on it, "you expecting me to feed kid?"

"Huh," Carly looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "oh thanks Mrs. Cleaver. Can the beaver come out to play later?"

"Sure thing, right after I remove my shoe from your," Sam grinned.

"Ah, little ears," Spencer chimed in and nodded toward Max.

"I know," Sam said as she bent down to pick up Mutt, still attacking Carly's shoes without mercy, "just getting my point across."

After everyone finished eating Sam and Carly began to wash the dishes. Mutt staked out spot between the kitchen and the front door and lay down to watch and protect his human woman, and wait for his human man to return. Ten minutes after settling down he drifted into sleep with visions of his humans and himself walking down the street to a park where they ran and played.

Spencer took Max and the two of them went to get ready to go down to the security desk , leaving Sam and Carly alone washing the dishes.

"So," Sam said while drying one of the dishes Carly had just washed, "you and Dale had a good time last night?"

Carly couldn't fight the smile that spread across her face, "Sam, I was… it was the best first date ever. We just clicked; I don't think I've ever felt so relaxed on a first date in my life."

Sam grinned and playfully nudged Carly, "Aw, cupcake is in LOVE."

"Oh stop it," Carly blushed, "So how'd it go with Will last night?"

"It was ok," Sam said looking down at the dish she was drying, "we had fun."

Carly couldn't help but notice that Sam wasn't as joyful about her date as she had been yesterday. She decided to take a different angle about the evening.

"So where did the do… puppy come from?"

She noticed that now Sam looked up and was grinning as she spoke, "Well I ran into Freddie when I got back here, the Marine and his wife are going to give him a hundred and fifty dollars a week to help fix up their apartment, so we talked about that and ended up going to get a burger and little man there," she nodded her head toward the sleeping Mutt, "ran into us. He was hungry, had no collar, and was so cute we took him with us. After we ate we went and picked up stuff for him then came back here."

"Sounds like you two had a good time," Carly bit back the urge to bring up how Sam's face glowed as she talked about the late night with Freddie.

"We really did," Sam put the stack of dried plates away and poured herself some orange juice before sitting at the table, "It was a very cool night."

"Well you certainly seemed to have fun," Carly decided to see what would happen if she slipped in something about Freddie, knowing Sam wouldn't hit her, maybe, "So when are you and Freddie going out again?"

"What'd mean, when are we going out again?" Sam looked at Carly like she had grown another head, "We didn't go out last night, we just… hung out."

"Sam, last night you were so excited about going out with Will that you let me make you over and help you pick out cloths to wear," Carly stared at Sam, "He was all you talked about. Today I get "it was ok" and no details what so ever. I ask about the dog… um puppy and I get how much Freddie's making for the summer, where you ate, tales about the d… puppy, and you two going shopping for it. Then for extra, add in the fact you call the do…puppy yours and Freddie's child. Yeah Sam whether you want to admit it or not you and Freddie went out on a date last night and you enjoyed it."

"Carls," Sam started to say just as the front door opened.

"Lucy, I'm home," Freddie announced, in an almost perfect Cuban accent.

Mutt sprang to his feet, tail wagging almost at the speed of sound, and shot toward Freddie like he had been shot out of a cannon. He ran so fast that his back end appeared to pull up beside him so he was running slightly sideways. He lost control and slid the last little bit till he hit Freddie's shoe. He then stood up and began to jump at Freddie's feet. Freddie shifted the bag he held in his left hand over to his right and bent down and picked up the puppy, who began to lick his face then sniff the air.

"I see our son is well and very happy," Freddie smiled as he walked to the table and sat in the chair between Sam and Carly, putting Mutt on the table and then sitting the bag on it as well, "Well little man let's see what daddy has brought with him. Why I do believe it's an order of fries," he pulled them out and spread them out so that Mutt could eat them, "and for momma I believe I have this bacon sundae, fries, and a bacon burger," he smiled and set them over in front of a smiling Sam, "Sorry Aunt Carly, nothing for you, but you may split my fries with me. I would offer you half of the bacon burger but I fear even I might not get half of it," Freddie looked at Sam and winked.

'Oh my God,' Sam thought as he winked at her, 'I so DID have a date with Freddie last night and I liked it,' a small grin and blush spread across her face as she looked down at the bacon sundae and fries.

"Oh you can have half of the burger nub," she faked an exasperated sigh.

Freddie tore the burger in half, well almost half, and gave the larger piece to Sam, who smiled and nodded her head as she took it.

Carly sat there watching the two of them thinking, 'They don't know I'm still here. I bet if I stripped naked and stood on the table and danced they wouldn't know or care.'

"So I'm thinking about killing Spencer and then turning the apartment into a whorehouse with Gibby and Brad as bouncers. I'm going to cater to people who like to pick their noses while they have sex and then eat the boogers."

Sam and Freddie watched Mutt and each other, "Sounds like a plan Carls," they both said, having heard nothing she said.

Carly shook her head and stood up from the table, "Well I'm going to rub my face with a cheese grater and then wash my face with alcohol, you guys have fun."

"Sure thing Carls have fun," they both said.

Carly mounted the steps slowly using her snarky high pitched voice, "Oh we're just friends. We don't think of each other that way. I like Will. Please, those two are so in…," the rest of her musings were lost as she reached the second floor.

"So after we three eat and I go home and change," Freddie popped a fry in his mouth, "want to go walk our son in the park?"

Her mouth still had some burger in it when she answered him, "Sure thing Freddada. I think little man would love that," she said as she thought, 'And so would I.'

.

When they had finished, Freddie took Mutt with him and went back to his apartment to change. As he opened the door he heard his mom in the kitchen doing something. When he shut the door she stepped out and was about to say good morning when she saw Mutt resting in Freddie's arms, "Well that explains the dog food and wee-wee pads I found in your room when I gathered up laundry. Had me worried for a minute Freddie bear."

"Sam and I found, well more like he found us last night and we couldn't leave him in the street," Freddie told her, "so we brought him home."

"Well it's up to you to clean up after him and feed him and such," Marissa Benson's eyes lit up as she watched Freddie set the dog down and he made a beeline for her. She bent down and picked him up, scratching his belly as she did so, "You'll need to take him to the vet Monday and have him checked out and get his shots."

"Already on it mom," he smiled.

When she had been a little girl she had had a dog named Scout and he followed her everywhere. He had been her best friend and when he died during her senior year she was heartbroken. When she had married Freddie's dad the first thing they did was get a dog. Even though she was a neat freak, she knew dogs were for the most part very clean and germ free. They named him Karma because he was such a sweet dog and was one day away from being euthanized at the pound.

He proved to be a welcome addition to their household. He had sensed she was pregnant with Freddie before she even knew. He would lay his head on her stomach and listen to the sounds of new life forming. He also had seemed to know that Fredward, her husband was sick before anyone else.

Fredward Benson married Marissa Benson (no relation, just random chance) in the spring of nineteen-eighty-eight in a lavish outdoor wedding in Southern California. Two months after finding out Marissa was going to have a baby, Fredward, quite by accident, discovered a large knot under his left armpit and went to have it checked out. The report came back as Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stage four. One month before Fredward Benson Jr. was born Fredward Benson Sr. died after slipping into a coma. Karma kept Marissa sane during that time and lived long enough to see Freddie's third birthday before he passed quietly one night at the foot of Freddie's bed, whom he had guarded with all his might.

Marissa had finally come to the conclusion that as much as she hated to, it was time to allow her son, who would always be three years old in her mind, room to grow and become the man she knew he had to be. The fact that he looked so much like his father and acted like him gave her hope and peace that she had done the best she could for him and it was time to trust that and him.

"Thanks mom," Freddie kissed his mother on the cheek and took Mutt from her, "I'm gonna change and then Sam and I are going to walk him."

"What is my new granddog's name?' she asked.

"Sam named him Mutt," he saw the wrinkled nose his mother made, "I know, but it fits and he doesn't seem to mind."

Freddie turned and walked toward his room. Marissa watched him walk away and for just a moment saw the three year old Freddie and sighed.

'Baby steps Marissa, baby steps,' she thought as the image in her mind shifted back to the way Freddie looked now, 'I can do this, I have to, but God almighty it's going to be tough.'

.

.

Sam quickly changed into sweats and a t-shirt and then in a very unSam like move, checked herself out in the mirror and made sure she look good. For reasons she still couldn't wrap her head around, this walk at this moment was the most important thing in her life. She didn't notice Carly stepping into the room from the shower or the grin that crossed her face as she watched her best friend primping for God knows what.

"Going somewhere Sam?" she asked with a sly look on her face.

Sam jumped like she had been shot at Carly's words, "Shit Shay, way to make me pee myself. We need to tie a bell around you like a cat."

"Sure thing, so where you heading off to?"

"Nowhere, just going to walk the puppy," Sam said just a little too fast.

"You're primping to go walk the dog… puppy?" Carly was enjoying herself taunting Sam, giving her back a little of what Sam had given her, "Hum, does Mutt really care if you look great, I wonder? So who else is going with you to walk the d… puppy? Anyone I know?"

"Shay I've never ever hit you or hurt you before, but you're really pushing the envelope here," Sam glared at her.

"Let me see if I can guess who's going with you," a wicked smile crossed Carly's face; she was enjoying messing with Sam, enjoying it almost too much for Sam's taste, "Gibby? No I can't picture that, well not without gagging. Brad? No, he's a little scared of you after the whole Halloween dust up."

Halloween of last year Wendy had thrown a huge costume party and most of Ridgeway showed up. Carly had gone as a butterfly, Gibby as a duck, Brad as a newspaper, Freddie as a vampire, and Sam as a zombie. At some point just after the party started the punch got spiked with Bacardi one-fifty-one and the good times rolled. After six cups of punch, Brad, feeling no pain and completely out of control, did the one thing you should never do, he hit on Sam and palmed her butt. When it was all over with, Brad looked like a newspaper that had been chewed by a dog. They had to cut his underwear off of him because Sam had given him an atomic wedgie, where the underwear actually goes over the persons head, and they had to remove a cheese cube from his nose. From that point on Brad had become skittish around Sam, with good reason.

"Spencer?" Carly rubbed her chin like she was stroking a beard, "No, that would be just down right creepy. Maybe Will. No couldn't be him, you would have said something."

"Shay," Sam shot lasers from her eyes at her best friend, "it's gonna be real hard to make out with Dale when you have no teeth."

"Oh, oh, I know," Carly was now dancing around the room, just out of Sam's reach, "Freddie? No, surely not. You two are just friends. You wouldn't primp for Freddie. Would you?"

Sam lunged at Carly, who took off like a bat out of hell, yelling, "Your ass is grass Shay!"

The sound of Carly's laughter could be heard as she ran down the steps, taking them two at a time.

.

.

Melissa Langford slept in on Sunday mornings and this one was no exception. She had had a long and beautiful dream of her and Charlie taking their three children to the beach. She was never able to tell how old she and Charlie were in the dream but both had a few streaks of gray and Charlie had some in the beard he had grown.

She felt lonely sleeping in their big bed without Charlie beside her. It amazed her how quickly she had grown to depend on and need him to be with her. She felt like she was missing an arm or a leg without him, and the loneliness was like the phantom pain you get after having a limb amputated, the limb was gone but you could still feel the pain.

She finally sat up and scooted so her back was against the headboard, feeling the little acorn carving that had left its impression on her head on more than one occasion before Charlie had shipped out. She rubbed her back against it and a wave of love swept through her. She turned and looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was ten-thirty. With a small groan she pulled herself out of bed and put on her slippers and a robe over the Marine t-shirt she wore to bed and shuffled her way to the kitchen. She set out a bowl and the milk and got out a box of Fruit Loops with marshmallows in them and sat down at the table. She hated the cereal with a passion, truth be told, but Charlie loved it and so while he was gone she ate a bowl for breakfast every morning. It made her feel closer to him somehow. She poured the cereal into the bowl and then poured the milk. She got up put the milk back in the refrigerator, took out a small bottle of Sunny D, grabbed a spoon and the bowl, and headed toward the living room.

As she sat down she reached for the remote and turned on the T.V. as she ate her first bite of cereal. The first news item was about a massive drug raid that had gone horribly along the U.S. and Mexican border. A joint taskforce of Mexican and American police had raided drug cartel's warehouse and ran into thirty-five heavily armed men. The bloody firefight left all twenty officers and fifteen members of the cartel dead. She ate slowly, listening more than watching, and looked at the walls trying to figure out how many cans of paint it would take to them, the kitchen, hallways, the bedrooms, and the bathroom. She took another bite of cereal as she reached the mind numbing count of at least nine cans when she heard the words no one with loved ones overseas wants to hear.

"A Marine helicopter crashed overnight just outside the city limits of Kandahar, Afghanistan killing all nine Marines onboard," the kindly old man at the news desk, showing no signs of reading the prompter on the camera, "the defense department has not released any names as of yet, pending notification of the next of kin."

She sat the bowl on the coffee table with shaking hands and leaned back into the couch and pulled her knees up to her chin. The walls seemed to close in on her and despite her best efforts the tears came, slowly at first and then heavier, as she felt herself beginning to slip away like rice paper left in the rain.

She had no idea how long the phone had been ringing when she was able to finally able to notice. She took a few seconds to get herself together, to find the strength to rise from the couch and walk over to the breakfast bar and pick up the phone. She knew from the number that it was from Afghanistan and she felt her legs get weak again as she prepared herself for Charlie's commander's voice.

"Hello," she said, in a flat and lifeless voice that was all she could get out.

"Hey red how's it going?" Charlie's familiar voice caused her knees to give way and she sank to the floor.

"Oh my God Charlie," Melissa finally gasped out when she was able to find her voice, "I just heard about a helicopter crash and … and…."

"Damnit," Charlie cursed through wireless feed, "I wish shit was like it used to be during World War II. It took time for that kind of shit to work its way back home and people didn't have to deal with this."

"Oh Charlie," Melissa began as she calmed down somewhat, "I can't stand this. It's so hard to spend every day wondering and worrying about you, seeing these news stories and I just feel like I'm in a vacuum here."

"I know red, I know," Charlie used the soothing voice he always used on her to try and calm her down, "but it's only for a few more months. I'll still be in harm's way when I get back and go to work for the police you know?"

"At least I'll be able to see you every day and sleep with you at night," she said, "I miss your touch."

"I miss yours to red," Charlie spoke in the soft a gentle tone once again, "I dreamed about you last night."

"I dreamed about you to baby," Melissa finally began to calm down, "What was your dream about?"

"Let's just say it involved some body oils, candlelight, Sinatra, and cheesecake," she could almost feel the lust through her phone, "I had to take a very cold shower because of it. What was your dream about?"

"Dreams, more than one actually. Well one was along the lines of yours," she thought she could hear the grin over the phone, "and the second one was us as being older and playing at the beach with our kids."

"I like both of those dreams," he said, "I can't wait to grow old with you."

"I can't wait till we're in the same hemisphere and looking at the moon at the same time."

"It's coming red, it's coming," he closed his eyes as he spoke and pictured her waiting for him as he disembarked from the transport. A smile would be on her face, maybe even a few tears, and her running toward him as he smiled. He could almost feel her arms wrap around his neck and her legs wrap around his waist as their lips touched and lit the fuse of the fireworks in his brain. He could almost smell her and taste her. He began to feel an ache in his heart and a wave of homesickness washed over him.

His days were filled with patrols, guard duty, road blocks, oppressive heat, outright hatred from the locals, and a daily threat of bodily harm from any number of ways up to and including the landscape. Large mountains with many caves to hide enemy cels, heat well into triple digits, mined roads, and centuries of warfare that had left the country torn between some modern cities and villages, and people still living the life their ancestors had centuries before. The country was a harsh, unforgiving land that had broken the back of invaders since recorded time. The Stone Age culture of some of the villages seemed to overwhelm modern tactics and weapons. Charlie had seen things in Afghanistan that would haunt him for the rest of his life and he knew it. His only saving grace was the thin line that tied him to a beautiful redheaded woman who was the love of his life. She helped the madness go away and kept him sane.

"I miss you red and I love you very much," he could feel himself beginning to lose it and knew he couldn't let her hear it, "Listen they're calling for me so I gotta go. We'll talk later."

"I love you Charlie," he could hear the warmth in her voice, "take care."

Charlie sat the phone down and nodded at the man in charge of the comm room. He turned and walked out into the blistering heat of the late evening. In less than two hours the sun would go down and the air would chill down into the low fifties. The lack of vegetation and other items to hold in the heat turned the desert into a freezer as night came on. He walked slowly toward the barracks, thoughts of Melissa and a life without the need to be so far away from her rolling through his mind like thunder rolling off the hills. He stopped and stared at the sinking sun and for a brief second closed his eyes and felt her in his arms. He opened his eyes and returned to the truth of his whereabouts and with a sigh spoke out loud, "Just a few more months' baby, just a few more months."

.

.

Sam and Freddie met in the hallway, Mutt now on his retractable leash in front of them, and walked to the elevator.

"So," Freddie started, "When's the next big date with Will?"

"I don't know yet," Sam pushed the down button as she spoke and Mutt sat at her feet, "He said he had some family thing today but is gonna call me tonight. So tonight is your big date night isn't it?"

"Well… not really a "date" date," Freddie made air quotes with his fingers, "we're just friends. I mean I like her and all, but there's no spark there. Know what I mean?"

Sam looked at him and shook her head, "Yes I do. You do know she's really into you though?"

"Yeah, I've got to have a talk with her about that tonight," the elevator door opened, startling Mutt and causing him to hide behind Sam and bark at it, "Easy little man, its ok."

"Well just be careful with her," Sam was solemn as she spoke, "She could get hurt very easily."

"I know," he shook his head, looking down at the floor, "I'm really dreading this."

Freddie bent down and picked Mutt up and then he and Sam walked into the elevator. Sam pressed the lobby button and then turned to scratch Mutt's head and ears. Mutt licked at her hand and at Freddie's as they rode down.

"Momma's boy likes being scratched and petted on doesn't he?" Sam slipped into baby talk mode as she loved on the puppy.

"And Momma really loves her baby doesn't she?" Freddie used his baby talk on Sam and grinned as he saw her face turn crimson, "You are a very special little dude. We go see the vet tomorrow and make sure you're health and get you all your shots. Maybe Momma will go with us?"

"Of course Momma is going with her little man to the vet," she smiled at Mutt and then looked up at Freddie with the same smile, "What time?"

"I don't know yet," Freddie absently rubbed Mutt's head, "I start working for Melissa tomorrow so it'll have to be after that or maybe at lunch. I'll have to call and see which vet can take him."

The doors opened and they walked out to see Spencer and Max sitting at Lewbert's desk messing with the C.B. radio. Spencer had on one of the uniforms of a doorman and Max wore an oversized orange vest.

"Well, well if it isn't the Cleavers out for the afternoon dog walk," Spencer grinned at them both, slipping a sly wink toward Sam.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam gave Spencer a smile that would have curdled milk, "and if it isn't the soon to be late Carlton the doorman. Lucky for you Shay that you have help or you would get much more than that."

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," Spencer continued to grin, "Mrs. Cleaver would never say things like that. Maybe Mr. Cleaver should spank you for being so harsh to me."

"Well maybe Mr. Cleaver will have to remove my foot from Carlton's a…" Sam, now totally red faced and more than a little embarrassed by the conversation and what it was making her feel.

"WELL," Freddie took Sam's hand and tugged her just a little, "before Mrs. Cleaver forgets that we have TWO very young set of ears here we'll be going now and Carlton can thank me later for saving his life."

Freddie sat Mutt down, still holding Sam's hand without realizing it, and they headed out the door. Mutt appeared to strut like a little prince as he led his humans out the door and down the sidewalk at a steady pace, tail wagging the whole time ninety to nothing.

Spencer grinned as they left and began to sing under his breath "Love Is In The Air" as he flipped the C.B. on and keyed the mic, "This is the Doorman back on the air. Any of you truckers got your ears on? Come back."

.

.

Dale spent the morning watching "The Three Stooges" shorts on T.V. while eating a casserole size bowl of Fruity Pebbles with two scoops of sugar and half a gallon of milk, just as he always did when he ate breakfast at home. When the Stooges went off he turned and watched Scooby-Doo and reveled in the quiet of the house.

His dad had been in a mood last night, helped by a fifth of scotch and several beers, and had gone apeshit as soon as he walked through the door. Just a typical Saturday night in the Watson house. Mom all wrapped up in a week's worth of DVR'd "American Justice" and her true crime books, trying to disappear into the recliner that was hers. She had barely said bye when he left to pick up Carly. He fully expected her to vanish into a puff of smoke one day, never to be seen again.

His dad had to go into work on Saturday, he worked at "The Home Depot", and Dale knew what that meant for the night. A stop at Nolan's bar for his "ego medicine" and to hit on any woman in hopes of getting lucky. He never did and that would turn his sour mood into one of rage, and that would send him home.

Dale's mom, Vicky, had worked at the Seattle Loan & Trust for almost twenty-five years and had moved up to branch manager ten years ago. Six months before that his dad, Van, had been laid off from the lumber mill he had worked at most of his life. Overnight his mom had become the bread winner for the family and his dad had begun his decent into self-loathing and anger at Dale's mom. He also began a serious decent into the bottle.

Van had never hit his wife or son, he didn't have to, he tore them down with the venomous words he hurled at them as the alcohol kicked in. Dale had learned quickly to avoid his dad and to ignore the words of his father, indeed he had learned to tune them out altogether. His mom wasn't so lucky. Raised in a different time she stood by her husband no matter what, and it cost her her backbone and any feeling of self-worth she had ever had. He hated his dad for that, hated him with a passion.

His grandfather was a different subject though. He had fought in World War II, winning four medals and three purple hearts in the process, and he had millions of stories to tell and loved doing so. Dale loved him with all his heart. Sure some of the tales he told stretched the truth till it screamed, but he did it with style. He visited him three or four times a week and just talked to him and listened. The history he talked about was far better than any textbook you could read, he had lived the history and brought it to life when he talked.

He stood, having finished his cereal, and made his way back into the kitchen to wash the bowl. He was excited at the prospect of taking Carly to see him and that she wanted to meet him.

After putting the bowl back where it went he slipped into the downstairs shower and got ready to pick Carly up. He crept upstairs and brushed his teeth and shaved. Then he hurried to his room and dressed, slipping out of the house before anyone woke up.

.

.

Carly picked out a nice skirt and blouse and a pair of comfortable flats then set about fixing her face. She wasn't as uninhibited as Sam and she always made sure she looked nice before she went out anywhere. She was always seemed to attract boy but couldn't seem to keep them for long. The fact she always went after the bad boy type certainly didn't help matters any, but she always found herself looking at the grass on the other side of the fence and much to her dismay grew bored with boys quickly. She was in love with the love, but the fairytale never covered the day to day mundane side of love, the side where he eats to fast or picks his teeth with a toothpick and then looked at the piece of unstuck food and then eat it or the fact that after about two dates the flowers he would bring stopped, no the fairytale left those little details out.

As she applied eye shadow she thought about Dale. He was kind, sweet, and a perfect gentleman, everything all her other boyfriends hadn't been. She could see this relationship going somewhere and it scared her just a little because other things had begun to pop into her head that had never done so before.

'Maybe because I see this heading somewhere is why I'm all mixed up inside,' she thought as she began working on her eyelashes, 'Dale is so different from the losers I've had before that that's got to be why all this Tom stuff is eating away at me, it just has to be. All those thoughts and feeling is just me being chicken and such about Dale, that's all.'

Even as she thought it, she knew that wasn't true, she was feeling something she had never felt before about Tom Trent. There was something almost primal in the way she wanted to throw away her "good girl" image and dive into a sexual relationship with the man.

'Oh my God,' she looked at herself in the mirror and found she didn't recognize the face looking back at her, 'That's the first time I've really thought that to myself. I want to sleep with him and I don't care that he's married at all. Christ I'm a total slut, I… don't understand this, I… I … want to… to… fuck him! Sweet mother of God, I want to fuck him and I don't care that he's married.'

Carly's sudden realization sent a shockwave through her soul and left her with a sour stomach. She wasn't sorry about it and she knew deep down that she WOULD pursue Tom Trent and Dale Watson both and be damn what anyone had to say. She stopped applying her make-up and was startled to see that she had fixed only one side of her face. Her right side was still plain and girlish while her left side was made-up and made her look like someone she had never seen before, and for just a second she was scared and ashamed of herself, and then it passed. The twinkle that was almost always in her eyes slowly faded away with each stroke of the make-up brush on her right side. For just a moment she swore that she cast no reflection in the mirror like she was a ghost or a vampire.

She hummed and sang part of a song from the play "Grease" as she finished her make-up, "Goodbye to Sandra Dee."

.

.

.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

And a relatively new writer on the scene at FF Princess-Warrior 17. She has some amazing stuff and you should give her a look.

As always review and let me know what you think.


	10. Groovin On A Sunday Afternoon Part 1

GROOVIN' ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

A/N: Told you it was coming. This chapter is heavy with Tara and Will and Carly and Dale. I hope you get a few laughs out of it, because there are some dark times ahead. I just hope people are still out here reading this.

.

.

The Fair was spread out over some twenty-five acres of land just outside the Seattle city limits in one of the few undeveloped areas surrounding the city. It was as close to a country lifestyle as you could get in and around Seattle anymore. Thomas W. Daily was the owner of the land, and his family had passed it down from generation to generation for over a hundred and twenty years.

The Daily family had moved from Minnesota and joined the Denny Party that arrived at Alki Point in the winter of 1851, where they set up a settlement. Two years later they moved the settlement to what was now present day Seattle.

Preston J. Daily started one of the most profitable logging businesses in the area and parlayed that into a massive ship building empire as well. He had bought some eight hundred acres just outside the city limits and planted family roots that were still growing after a century or more.

The family had weathered the storms of financial turmoil that had hit the country and still held most of its vast fortune because Preston J. Daily had always drilled into his family, and in turn was passed down from one generation to the next, that having money didn't mean living like a king or being flashy with it. The family house was modest for a large family of eight and nothing but off the rack cloths or handmade clothes by the women of the family were worn. They were also very generous with their money. The Daily family built hospitals, orphan orphanages, schools, and supported the arts in and around Seattle.

After the 1962 World's Fair, Ralph Daily, Thomas' great-grandfather, began hosting a yearly fair to help the local economy and give families somewhere to go and something to do together during the summer that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. For four weeks twenty-five acres of land became an old fashioned county fair, with everything you would expect to find and even more that you wouldn't.

.

.

Henry Rollins spent a good five minutes looking before he found an empty parking space. He was pleased that he had managed to find one close to the entrance since that meant fewer steps his wife had to take.

Henry had met his wife, Kara, when they were in eleventh grade. Her father had moved the family to Seattle because of a great job offer from Boeing. He knew the moment he saw her that she was the one, so he pursued her with zeal. Within a three day span, he had won her hand and her heart. He loved her very much, but would change one thing if he could, her smoking.

Kara Rollins, then Kara Mills, had started smoking when she was fourteen to get back at her parents for some now long gone mistreatment she felt they had done to her. Now here she was thirty years later, the mistreatment forgotten and both her parents dead, but the smoking habit was still with her. She now smoked almost four packs a day and was probably just a step away from emphysema or throat cancer. Henry had tried everything he could think of to get her to quit, but the addiction was to strong and she just couldn't or wouldn't stop. When she coughed she sounded like she was going the hack up a lung and could literally be heard by the people next door.

"You kids go on in, me and Ma Kettle will bring up the rear," Henry told his daughter and the young man who rode with them. Henry had a feeling about the two of them as he watched them walk on. He smiled and began to wonder if this Freddie boy might have some competition.

"Henry Rollins, I can see right through that balding head of yours," Kara said with a slight wheeze and a cough. "You got it in your head that those two are _like_ liking each other."

"Now Ma, I'm doing no such thing." Henry gave his wife his lopsided grin, which meant he was lying, and shook his head. "But now that you mention it, they do look kind of cute together. Would it be a bad thing?"

"Old man, you better not meddle in things, and by that I mean you keep your eyes on me." Her laugh turned into a cough that rattled her entire body. "Keep me happy or I might just pick me up some young dude. Shit I need a cigarette."

Henry shook his head and sat down next to his wife as she lit one up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and prayed for her to be around for a long time to come.

.

.

.

Tara and Will walked through the midway talking and taking in the sites as they headed to Tara's favorite ride, the tilt-a-whirl.

"…then she just looked at him and started to yell at the top of her lungs about how he was a "bug fucker", how she didn't even know they had had sex till he told her it was over, and stuff like that," Tara was red faced as she told Will about one Debbie Rich and her very public breakup with Todd Wilson in the halls of Ridgeway the year before.

"No shit?" Will managed to get out in between laughs. "I bet he felt about this high."He held up his thumb and index finger so that they almost but not quite touched.

"Well he deserved every bit of it." Tara laughed. "He'd told everyone in school about them sleeping together and how great he was in the sack. I'd of slapped the shit out of him and taken sandpaper to his nuts if it had been me."

"Note to self." Will took his index finger and pretended to write a note. "Never ever piss Tara off."

"Yeah we fat girls can be pretty twisted when we're pissed off," Tara opened her eyes as wide as she could which gave the effect of her being quite insane looking and sent Will into another frenzy of laughter.

Once he calmed down, Will scolded her, "Will you stop talking about yourself like that, Tara? There's nothing wrong with the way you look. In fact you're very attractive and you looked kinda hot yesterday at the beach. Besides, you're more real than those ninety pounds soaking wet girls and far more fun to hang with. It gets old real quick having to stroke their egos every fifteen minutes."

They had reached the tilt-a-whirl by then, and since the line was short, they were immediately ushered into one of the cars and had the locking harness set for them as they continued to talk.

"So what's Ridgeway like?" Will asked as more people were loaded onto the other empty cars, "I mean is it all just a bunch of cliques or all the people pretty mellow?"

"Well you've got to remember who you're asking," Tara said as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position in the car, "I'm from the last rung of the high school social ladder. The only ones below me are the kids with bad B.O. that eat paste and talk to themselves. That being said, Ridgeway is a little better than most schools. We don't have that many bullies. Sam took care of them, and other than a few seriously disturbed teaches, it's a great place to go to school."

The ride started up, and the car began a slow lazy spin to the right and began to move up the platform with a loud clank sound.

"I have always loved these things," Tara smiled broadly as they whipped around in a quick semi-circle with a loud bang and bump.

"I know these things are great," Will laughed as they both slid around a little in their seats, "We need to go over to the bumper cars next. Those things are super fun. Only time you can get away with hitting someone with a car and not get sued. Lean into the next turn and it'll get our speed up."

As the car began to turn again, they both leaned with it, and the car whipped around faster setting off waves of laughter from them both. All talk ended for the next few minutes except for an occasional "Wee" or a "This is cool" as they whipped and turned at higher and higher rates of speed, grins from them both as broad as could be.

As the ride came to a stop, the pair both let out an "aw" at the same time and laughed as the attendant came and undid the locking bar from their laps. Both swayed for a few seconds before they found their footing and then began to walk toward the midway again. They passed the dunking booth, which had a clown painted on it along with the name "Happy the Clown" on the side.

"High and dry, boys, high and dry," Happy yelled from his perch above the water, "sittin' up here high and dry. Well look what we have here, a Gumby looking boy with his Weeble wobbling girlfriend. Better buy her a hot dog before she turns on you, son."

"Hey, you lay off my friend," Will shouted at the laughing clown.

"Oh did I make stickboy mad, Boohoo, boohoo, come-on, big man, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT," the clown shouted, "one dollar buys you three balls, zit popper. I'm still here, HIGH AND DRY, HIGH AND DRY!"

Will quickly pulled out his wallet and plopped down three dollars for nine balls, "Your ass is going down, slime bucket."

"Yeah, yeah, stickboy, I see your lips a flappin' but I'm still high and dry," Happy harangued Will as he reared back and tossed the first soft ball.

Will put as much heat on the throw as he could, and it zipped just underneath the target, smacking into the plastic tarp behind it with a loud thump.

"Woe there, killer," Happy laughed, "maybe you need to put your glasses on or something, or do you just suck this bad all the time?"

Will threw the next ball so hard that he stumbled as he released it. Once again it missed the target, sailing high and into the tarp again.

"Let the girl throw one, hoss," the clown chuckled, "maybe she could do better. I'm still high and dry, folks, high and dry."

Tara took one ball from Will and hummed it at the target, missing wide and to the side.

"Maybe if we painted a funnel cake or hotdog on the target you would hit it," Happy roared with laughter, "High and dry, chubby, high and dry."

"You asshole," Will yelled and in quick succession hummed three more balls at the target, missing all three.

"Nice try, dickcheese," Happy taunted Will, "You couldn't hit water if you fell out of a fucking boat. High and dry, baby, high and dry."

At a boiling point, Will literally put everything he had into his next pitch and clipped the target hard enough to send Happy down into the water tank below him.

"Low and wet, you asshole, low and wet," Will laughed as he and Tara walked away from the booth.

"Aw, don't leave yet, stick," Happy laughed, "you still got two more throws or are you a one time and out kind of guy?"

They chuckled as they heard Happy begin haranguing a new couple that walked by him. They stopped at a booth and bought some cotton candy, popcorn, and two medium drinks, spending ten dollars for the whole thing, and began to head toward the bumper cars again.

"Man, that dude was an asshole and a half," Will spoke as he stuffed a piece of cotton candy in his mouth.

"Yeah, but that's what they pay him for," Tara laughed, "get you all pissed and then you spend boo coo bucks to try and dunk 'em."

"Well then he earned his money," Will smiled as he reached into the bag and got a handful of popcorn and munching down on it, "all that shit he said to and about you didn't made you mad or hurt you?"

"Are you kidding?" she laughed, "My cousin Todd says worse to me in text messages than that dude could ever say. Besides, even though I'm overweight, these right here," she shook her chest up and down, "are still what boys like."

"Well I have to say you got me there," Will made an exaggerated head bobbing motion, "we tend to like the ta ta's."

By the time they made it to the bumper cars, they had consumed their snacks and thrown away the trash. The line was long, and as they waited to ride, they talked about family, pets, school, T.V. shows, movies, books, and just about everything that there was to talk about. They laughed at the funny and silly stories and commiserated with each other over painful and sad ones. Somewhere between the end of the line and the last turn before you could see the front of it, the crowd seemed to vanish, and it was just the two of them talking.

.

.

Dale knocked on Carly's door and waited for her to answer. He was very excited about the fact that Carly wanted to meet his great- grandfather and was excited for his great- grandfather to meet her. No girl he had ever dated had agreed to do this before, and the fact that she did moved her up several notches in his book. He was happy that things were going so well with her.

The door opened and he thought his jaw was going to hit the floor. She looked like a goddess, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he was suddenly very aware of just how tight his underwear was.

"Hi, Dale, I'm ready to go," Carly smiled and he found himself wanting to push her inside, kiss her stupid and see where it went from there.

"Wow," was all he could say. He thought his tongue would roll out of his mouth and hit the floor like those old cartoons from the Forty's and Fifty's.

Carly giggled and took his arm, "Let's go meet this great-grandfather of yours."

Twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of Hesseman Retirement Village and parked. Dale turned to Carly and put a hand on her shoulder before she could get out.

"Poppy is eighty-seven years old," he started, "his hearing is pretty bad, so he kind of talks real loud, and well, he talks just like you'd think a Marine would talk like, so I hope cussing doesn't bother you very much."

"Relax, Dale," Carly touched his cheek, "dad has been in the military all my life, so I've heard quite a few interesting groupings of words before. It'll be all right and it'll be fun."

Without a thought they both leaned in and kissed. Carly felt his arms go around her back and scooted in closer to deepen the kiss. After a few minutes they broke apart and smiled at each other.

"Let's go see my Poppy," he said as he exited the car and walked over to open her door.

As they entered the doors, they heard the deep, loud voice of someone yelling, "I'll take that damn Jell-O and shove it so far up your fucking nose that it comes out your ears, Martin, if you pull another full house out of the crack of your ass, you cheating son-of-a-bitch!"

"And that would be Poppy," Dale grinned, "told you he was a pistol."

"Sounds like a hoot," Carly was already liking the old man and hadn't even met him yet.

They rounded a corner and found an older man; he looked no older than his late sixties, with his cane raised, standing over an older man in a wheelchair, his fist pounding the table.

"You Navy pukes were always nothing but teat sucking babies anyway," he railed at the wheelchair bound man, "your ass never set foot on any of those island hells we Marines did. Hell, you'd probably have shit your pants the first Jap you saw running toward you. Plus, you guys were always miserable card and craps cheats."

"Billy, by God one day I'm gonna get tired of your mouth and take that cane from you and beat your miserable jarhead ass with it and finish what the Japs should have finished on Okinawa, you piece of dogshit."

"Bring it on, you old coot," Billy shook his fist "the day I can't whip one of you Navy cocksuckers is the day I'll lay down in my grave! Oh hi, Dale, who's the dame you got with you?"

"Poppy, this is Carly, and, Carly, this is my…" Dale started.

"Call me Billy, gorgeous, I'm too fucking young to be called Poppy by a dish like you," he took her hand and kissed it, "If squirt over here ain't treatin' you right, I'll be more than happy to take you out."

"Poppy?" Dale blushed.

"Lecherous old bastard," Martin said.

"Go fuck yourself with your colostomy bag, you old coot," Billy shouted, and then in a tone that sounded friendly, "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, right after breakfast," Martin smiled and took Carly's hand, "I'm Martin by the way and nice to have met you," he turned the chair around toward Billy, "See you at the movie tonight, nutsuck."

Billy laughed and turned to Dale and Carly, "Well this is a special day, Dale has never brought a doll with him before; you must be special."

"I go to school with her; Poppy," Dale said, loudly over pronouncing every word, "her dad is in the Air Force."

"Air Force?" Billy said the words like someone had forced him to drink castor oil, "Jesus H. Christ, Air Force, hell they rank below the Navy in my book, and quit hollering I ain't deef."

"That's deaf, Poppy, not deef," Dale corrected him.

"That's what I said S.D. Deef, don't correct me," the old man shook his finger in mock anger at his great-grandson, "I took on a whole Jap platoon by myself, so I can damn well throw you over my knee and wear your smartass out."

Carly noticed the truly loving way the older man, silver haired with flecks of red still showing and styled with a crew-cut, looked at his great-grandson. There was a pride in his eyes that made the "rough around the edges" senior Watson not quite as intimidating as he might otherwise be.

"Well now, what's a cute trick like you doing with my wingman here?" Billy slapped Dale's shoulder hard enough that Dale almost fell out of the chair he was in.

"Dale and I went out last night, and he told me about you and asked if I wanted to come with him to meet you," Carly surprised herself at how loud she spoke.

"First off, honey, despite what everybody thinks, I'm not deef," he patted the back of her hand that she had resting on the table where they sat, "and secondly, you got a spry granny or mom you could bring by?"

"Poppy," Dale chuckled, "Carly isn't a dating service."

"Listen, S.D. I ain't looking for no date. I'm looking to get laid," the old man wiggled his eyebrows and laughed so hard that it seemed to fill the whole room.

"Poppy!"

"Don't you take that tone with me or I'll tell her what S.D. stands for," Billy shook a finger at Dale in a mock show of anger.

"You wouldn't!" Dale looked the older man in the eyes and the two stared each other down.

After several seconds the old man's mouth began to twitch and slide slowly into a cheesy, toothy smile, and before Dale could even raise his voice, Billy spoke, "It stands for shitty diaper," the old man cackled as he spoke and Carly couldn't help but laugh, "The boy shit all the time when he was a baby," by now the old man had risen and cupped his hand over Dale's mouth to stifle his comments, "and not those little baby shits either. No, he shit like a damn horse. God awfulest smell ever, and I've smelled burnt and decaying flesh. It drove me out of the house. To make it even worse, it was all orange and green, looked like they were feeding 'em Crayons or something. I don't have flashbacks about the war, but I do about this boy's shits."

Carly was now full on laughing, tears running down her face along with mascara, an occasional snort, and grabbing the table so as not to fall in the floor.

Dale looked like an over ripe tomato whose skin was about to split open. His reaction to his great-grandfather's tidbit of information caused the older Watson and Carly to laugh even harder.

"Son," Billy removed his hand from Dale's mouth and slapped him on the back, causing him to bend over, "You knew that I couldn't and wouldn't let a chance to embarrass the living shit out of you go by."

"Yeah thanks, Poppy," Dale shook his head, "I can always count on you. Why not go ahead and tell her everything else."

The glint in the old man's eyes was unmistakable as he opened his mouth, "Wet the bed till he was twelve, carried some godawful PINK bear around till he was eight, and caught him jerking off in my bathroom when he was thirteen."

Dale made a show of slamming his head down on the table as his "Poppy" began to laugh and cough at the same time. Carly was trying with all her might not to give in and laugh. She was trying so hard that she had to look away from both men or the game would be up. Billy's laughter and his booming voice had carried most of the conversation throughout the dayroom, so people at other tables not only heard but had begun to laugh themselves.

"Wow Poppy," Dale raised his head from the table, looking at the older man with embarrassment on his face, "I did ask you too. Guess I should have learned by now that you don't bluff at all", he turned to Carly, who was looking away and spoke, "Well just to clear the air, I sucked my thumb till I was in the fourth grade, I used to have problems getting "clean" so I would wedge toilet paper in my crack, I have on more than one occasion eaten paste as a child, I access porn on the internet, I still like the Teletubbies, I read romance novels, I like to cook, and I like chick flicks. There, that should about cover it all."

Carly couldn't hold it in anymore and began to laugh as she turned around, placed a hand on Dale's shoulder and tried to talk through the laughter, "Dale… I'm so… sorry… but… it's funny," unable to stop laughing, Carly reached out and gave Dale a hug and buried her face in his shoulder, laughing.

"Well all that aside," Billy punched his great-grandson softly in the arm, "S.D. is one of the finest young men I've ever met. I can't even get his dad to come that often to see me, but this boy comes two, three times a week. I lost my son in Vietnam, and my grandson blames me because I'm all "Gung Ho" and shit, saying it was my fault. The boy hates me."

"Poppy, Dad doesn't hate you," Dale said in a soothing tone, "he just…"

"Hate's me, S.D.," the older man smiled, "you don't have to sugarcoat it, I know. I love your dad, don't get me wrong, but he's one miserable son-of-a-bitch. If I could still drive, I'd be at your house right now wedging my foot sideways in his asshole. I know I'm rough around the edges and all, but damn it I ain't never treated a woman with anything but respect, even the whor…, women I met overseas before I met your great-grandmother, God rest her soul, and if I had she would have beat the living shit outta 'a me. I know his daddy's death hit him hard and all, but that's no excuse for crawling into the bottle and taking it out on your wife and kids."

"Well let's get past this stuff and on to better things," Dale smiled, "You look a lot better than you did on Thursday, Poppy."

"No shit," Billy said far louder than he knew, "expect a grown man to eat all this tutti-frutti hippy health food shit. I spent thirty years in the Corp eating some of the vilest shit God ever put on this Earth, and I'll be Goddamned if I'll spend my last years eating fucking toe jam, ass cream, tofu, or whatever the hell they call that shit. It's fucking paste. We made fun of kids who ate paste in grade school when I was young, so they can shove that shit right back up their shithole. I don't give a good fuck how many arteries I have clogged or how fucking high my blood pressure is, I want meat and potatoes with real butter. I want a drink, not some fruity "nonalcoholic" piss, one that burns going down and makes you want to slap someone, and for the love of Christ I want a cigar. I'm eighty-two years old, how much longer do they figure I'm gonna fucking hang out down here."

"You 'bout done, Poppy?" Dale chuckled.

"Yeah, S.D., that's my rant for the day," the old man winked at Carly, "I learned in the Marines, sweetie, that you always complain about something, they leave you alone. Now what I want to know is why a fine young filly like you would want to come see a broken down old fart like me?"

"Dale was talking about you," Carly leaned into the older Watson so he could hear her better, "and about how great and cool you were, so when he asked me if I wanted to come, I said yes. I wanted to meet this man he loved so much."

For the next two hours the three of them sat and talked about life and the adventures of Billy Watson. He told Carly about "Island Hopping", as they called it, all the way across the Pacific Ocean during World War II, his battles in Korea, and "the long haired panty wastes, dope smoking, disrespectful to their country fruits that seemed to have flourished in the sixties." Carly was fascinated by it all and could see just how close the elder and younger Watson really were. They appeared more like father and son than great-grandfather and great-grandson. She thought it was sweet the way Dale would listen to story after story, sure that he must have heard them a million times, and lose himself in the elder's words.

When it came time to go, Billy Watson, retired Master Sergeant of the U.S. Marine Corp stood, took Carly's hand and kissed it, "I want to thank you for coming with S.D. today, little lady, I think a lot of this boy, but you are far easier on the eyes than he is."

"Thank you, sir," Carly curtsied a little, "and may I say I have loved meeting and talking to you. I'd like to come back and see you again sometime."

"Please do, but next time leave stinky at home and I'll take you on the grand tour of my room," a very sly smile crossed his face and he winked, "I may be old as shit, doll, but the fire ain't out yet."

"And on that note," Dale shot his great-grandfather a very withering glance and then a smile, "we're leaving now, Poppy. See you Tuesday?"

"Not if I see your ugly mug first," the old man laughed, and to Carly's surprise, gave his great-grandson a very passionate hug, whispering in his ear, "I like her boy, Be good to her. I love you, Dale, you're a fine young man."

They broke apart and the three of them started toward the front doors as a woman with a walker moved toward them. When they got close, she smiled at Billy and said, "You gonna help me throw out my other hip later, stud?"

Billy smiled and turned to Dale, "You wouldn't happen to have a condom on ya' would ya', son?"

.

.

All right there you have it. All kinds of things going on her fans and I hope you like. Seddie and drama a plenty are on their way.

A huge shout out to StoryPainter for some tough love and help above and beyond the call of duty. I am in your debt.

Much love to Writtenbyabdex for the talks and laughs, you are a doll.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good.

Princess-Warrior 17: My bud and co-conspirer, I owe you a one-shot and I will deliver.

I don't know about others, but I was less than happy with iGoodbye and the weak ending to a show I've come to enjoy. I still have stories I want to write about iCarly, so I'll be around, but I also plan some original fiction projects as well.

One last shout out to JuliIsMe, a sweet young lady and a talent to watch out for.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

And a relatively new writer on the scene at FF Princess-Warrior 17. She has some amazing stuff and you should give her a look.

As always review and let me know what you think.


	11. Groovin' On A Sunday Afternoon part 2

Groovin' On A Sunday Afternoon part 2

.

.

A/N: What's this, another update in less than two months? Surely the author has lost his mind or has decided to quit being a lazy bum and work some.

Thank you Story Painter for the help, advice, and the gentle kick in the butt about using something called grammar. I had never heard of that before, but I am intrigued by it and plan to use it again sometime. For now on with the story and after a few more words you may or may not want to read.

.

.

The morning had turned into a beautiful summer day in Seattle. It was cloudless and the temperature had settled in at eighty-six degrees with just a trace of wind, causing a sweet and gentle breeze to blow. As they made their way down the street, Mutt stood tall, head up, chest out, and strutted like the cock-of-the-walk. He looked from side to side, checking out sounds and smells, always turning back to check on his humans. The tall, dark headed man was quiet but seemed very strong. He seemed to be in charge, but he didn't seem to know it. As he had slept in the floor of the man's room the night before, Mutt had heard the dark haired one snore lightly, but it, didn't bother him at all. In fact it soothed, him and he knew he was safe and had a home.

The small light haired woman was tougher, maybe even stronger than the dark headed man, but he could tell that she was very kind and loving and didn't want everyone to see. He also knew, with instincts that only a dog could have, that the two of them belonged together. Even when they were apart he could tell they were together in spirit.

He turned his head and noticed that they were walking so close that they were almost touching. The smiles they both wore said more about what they meant to each other than any words they might say. He thought that they looked as comfortable with each other as he was with both of them.

He rounded the corner and there before his eyes was the Promised Land, the paradise that all dogs seek:

.

_**THE PARK!**_

.

His nostrils flared as scents of all kinds drifted in the slight breeze. He stopped and turned to look at his humans, giving them his best dog smile, jumping and hopping like a jumping bean; the excitement so overwhelmed him.

"Well, someone is ready to play hard," Freddie bent down and scratched Mutt's back and ears.

"Yeah, and Mutt wants to play too." Sam lightly slapped the back of Freddie's head. "You're it!"

She took off at a dead run and was almost halfway across the street before Freddie, with Mutt, who was barking, began to charge after her.

"I'm coming for you, Puckett, there's nowhere you can hide," Freddie shouted.

"Catch me first then talk shi…" Sam suddenly became aware that she was surrounded by children. "Stuff, Fredoronie!"

"Lips flapping and tongue wagging, but I can't hear a word you're saying," Freddie shouted as he and Mutt turned behind a large bush, disappearing from Sam's view.

She kept running, cutting off to her right and running straight into Freddie and Mutt, both of whom were smiling, and falling back on her behind.

Mutt barked and then walked up and licked her face as she petted him. She looked up at Freddie and smiled, "You gonna help me up or just stand there and stare at me?"

He said nothing; he just stood there looking at her with a strange expression on his face. Sam's eyes caught his and suddenly she was very aware of the fact that his t-shirt was tight over his abs and that his arms were huge and powerful looking. For a brief second her eyes played over his crotch, and she thought about what was behind the zipper and, how she really wanted to know.

Silently, Freddie extended his hand down to her and she took it. He pulled her up with little effort and she bumped into his chest. Her tiny hand looked lost inside of his larger one and to her surprise neither of them let go.

"Guess I won that time, didn't I, princess?" Freddie's voice was low and she could feel the rumble of it through his chest and into her own, and she felt something else, something she couldn't identify, but it made her very aroused and scared at the same time.

They were mere inches apart; she could see the pulse line in his neck moving as the blood pumped through it and felt his breath on her face. The breeze floated in and for just a second, but it felt much longer; she began to rise up on her toes, and they both began to tilt their heads and lean in.

Mutt chose that exact moment to decide that a butterfly, winging its way on the cool afternoon breeze, was worthy of his attention and in fact should be chased down. With a mighty heart and adorable, if slightly squeaky, bark he leapt into action and gave chase, tugging on the retractable leash and jerking Freddie's hand and breaking the mood and the moment.

Freddie turned to look at the little pup, chomping at the bit to catch his prey, and chuckled. "Easy there, killer, what's got you all worked up?"

Sam slowly lowered herself back down till she was flat on her feet again. She was very aware of the fact that she had missed the chance to kiss Freddie, but still couldn't put her finger on just exactly where her head was at; she just knew that something major had shifted, and her life was about to change, perhaps forever, and it scared her down to her core.

She laughed when the large, beautiful butterfly swooped back toward them, and Mutt began to leap and snap at it like it was a toy, his squeaky bark making the whole scene that much more comical.

"Does Momma's little boy want to play with the butterfly?" she bent down and scratched his back, at least tried to as he danced and hopped around after the butterfly in gay abandonment.

"Do we dare take the leash off and let him run?" she asked.

"I think he'll do okay if we do; we'll just have to keep an eye on him," Freddie nodded as Sam removed the leash.

With the sound of the leash being unclipped, Mutt looked at his two humans, gauging what it meant, and with a bark and machinegun wagging of his tail leapt after his prey with the joy that only a puppy or a child could understand.

Sam and Freddie walked slowly behind as Mutt gave full chase to the butterfly. They walked so close that they almost touched, but not quite. Both were lost in their own thoughts, so much so, that when they took each other's hand they didn't notice. They didn't speak at all and were both comfortable with, indeed enjoying, the silence, and the ease they felt between them about it. They both knew that silence between people could be very uncomfortable even creepy sometimes, but they felt none of that.

They walked to the edge of the sandy playground area. Mutt had, by now given up on the butterfly and was chasing a bright leaf that had been caught in the breeze. They released each other's hand, once again with no mentioning of it, and sat down on two of the twelve swings on the bright orange swing set to watch Mutt and the leaf.

"So, are you worried about your talk with Tara tonight?"Sam asked in a mild tone.

"Only to the point of throwing up," Freddie shook his head like a doctor who had to tell someone that a loved one had died. "It really didn't hit me till today that I've been sending mixed signals at her this whole time. I mean I wanted to be nice, because I do like her, but somewhere along the nice road I screwed up. By trying not to hurt her or lead her on, I'm afraid I did just that. She's gonna end up hating me and I don't blame her."

"Chillax Fredward." Sam was pleased to see that she got a grin out of him with that line. "You couldn't make someone hate you if you tried. I mean you're so white bread, in a good way, that if you held a gun to someone's head, you couldn't scare them much less piss them off. You won't ever have that kind of street cred Fredachinnie."

"I don't know whether to take that as a complement or a put down." Freddie grinned as he slowly used his feet to swing back and forth. "And have you yourself not told me on numerous occasions that you in fact hate me?"

"That was different." She blushed just a little. "And besides you have this annoying habit of growing on people. By being around me you managed to collect some cool points. Look, dude, you are, and if you tell anyone I said this, I'll be forced to kick your special place out the other side of your ass, you are a nice guy. I mean you hold doors open for people, you talk polite with people, and even when they don't deserve it you respect people. You're the kind of guy I want my son to be like if I have one, and the type of guy I would want as a husband."

As soon as it came out of her mouth, Sam wanted the last part of her sentence back. The awkwardness that hadn't been there before suddenly became a large anvil, like in the old cartoons, and it landed between them with the force of an atomic bomb.

Freddie stopped moving and just stared at her for what felt to her was hours before saying anything, his mouth curling into a grin that made her feel like a million butterflies had been set loose in her stomach at once as he spoke, "_The_ Sam Puckett, the girl who beats the crap out of football players and wrestlers on a daily basis, thinks about having children and getting married?"

Despite the fact that she didn't intend on discussing this at all, and certainly not with Freddie, she couldn't stop herself, or the smile that just wouldn't leave her face as she spoke to him, "Listen, Fredfurer, just because I'm a true badass doesn't mean that if I found someone who was able to give me a good run for my money and not be afraid of me, that I wouldn't want to settle down, _**SOME**_, and have some kids and a home!"

"At the risk of a fat lip," Freddie smiled at her."I can kind of see you in a _soccer mom_kind of roll, screaming your head off at refs during games, bulldozing your way through PTA meetings, and having all the kids in the neighborhood at your house because you would always have the cool snacks."

Sam grinned, "Yeah, Momma's house is gonna be snack heaven. You really think I'd be a good soccer mom?"

"You'd be a kickass mom, plus you'd be able to put the fear of God into them when they got too far out of line." He kicked softly at her foot and smirked.

They said nothing for the next few seconds, just looked at each other. They both saw something tranquil in the other's eyes, and a thin wisp of a future that they both very much wanted and were powerless to obtain at this time.

"You really like Will don't you?" Even though it was formed as a question, Freddie meant it as a statement.

""Shit, why did he have to ask me that of all things,""she thought as her mind reeled from what she wanted to say and what she knew she was going to say. "Yes, I do."

""Well, Freddie my boy, you've done it again,' he thought to himself as her looked at Sam. ""Twenty-four hours ago you had a chance with three women in your life, and now you have none. You must live in a valley, son, because shit always seems to roll down on you.""

"So when are the two of you going out again?" he asked but really didn't want to know.

"He's doing something with his family today, but he said he'd call me later about our next date." She was very uncomfortable talking about Will to Freddie, so she looked down and kicked at the sand with the toe of her sneaker, "What time you picking up Tara tonight?"

"A little after six, right after I leave chur…," he froze for a split second trying to think of something close to the sound church so he didn't spill his secret. "Uncle Charlie's place."

"Uncle Charlie?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "You don't have an Uncle Charlie."

"He's this guy that works with my mom." Freddie had never lied so quickly or so well. "He's kind of old and we go help him sometimes."

Sam knew that, even though he had told it well, he had told her a lie. As far back as she could remember Freddie didn't lie, and that was what made this so strange. She wondered if this "Uncle Charlie" was just a cover-up for the "crush" he had told Tara about.

""Hot damn,"" she thought,""now I have a new summer project. I'm gonna find out what Freddie does when he's not with me and Carly. I'm gonna find out who this crush is if I have to beat half of Seattle to do it. You can run but you can't hide, Benson.""

"Your mom doesn't cook for him, does she?" Sam laughed.

"Shoot no, I told you we help him not try and kill him." Freddie flashed a smile at her and kicked sand on her shoe.

Sam looked at the sand on her shoe then up at Freddie then back down at her shoe before sitting up straight, making a clicking sound with her tongue and shaking her index finger at him. "Benson, Benson, Benson, do you really want a black eye for your date tonight? Did you forget who I am or are you really that stupid and think I'd let that slide? It is so on, get 'em, Mutt."

Freddie kicked a little more sand on her shoe, and in the blink of an eye shot up from the swings and headed over to an empty play area that had rope bridges, slides, climbing towers, and other things to keep kids occupied. He climbed up the tallest tower. He made a raspberry sound at her with his tongue when he turned to look at her and stepped up into the crow's nest at the top.

Sam and Mutt were close behind but still couldn't catch Freddie before he made it to the top. Mutt was barking and jumping and Sam was holding her side, trying catching her breath. She was also trying to hide the goofy smile that she had on her face. The butterflies were back and they brought along with them something new, something that scared the shit out of her and made her want to run. She liked this, all of this: walking the dog, late night meals, playing in the park, fixing breakfast. She wanted more of this, and she wanted this for the rest of her…

"You'll have to come and get me, Puckett, and it won't be easy, princess." Freddie taunted her and laughed.

His voice snapped her out of her daydream and she looked up at him. "Trust me, Benson, I'm coming after you."

""In more ways than one,"" she thought as she began her ascent toward him with the ease of a monkey in a tree.

.

.

Melissa Langford spent most of the morning, after she talked to her husband, covering the furniture with drop cloths in preparation for the painting she and Freddie would do on Monday. Sometime after one-thirty she sat down in the kitchen and fixed herself a tuna salad sandwich with some homemade fries. She looked at the table, ran her hand over its surface and smiled as her fingers rubbed over some irregular spots on it. The table wasn't in the best of shape, but if she had a million dollars, she would never replace the table. It held as much sentimental value as her engagement ring and wedding band did for her.

They had been just friends then, Charlie and her, just fifteen or so, and they were sitting around his grandmother's kitchen table eating cookies she had just taken out of the oven. His grandmother lived four houses down from Charlie's house, and for an older lady she had always been cool. The two teens both liked hanging out at her house almost as much as she loved them being there. Melissa had been talking about the latest love of her life, Jake, she couldn't even remember his last name now, and about how great he had been. Charlie's grandmother laughed at her and said, "Sweetie, I swear you go through boys like a baby does diapers. How are you ever going find the right one when you won't even stay with one for a full week?"

The older woman reached over to the cabinet by the sink, took a small paring knife out of a drawer, turned to Melissa and placed the knife in her hands.

"Now then, honey, you close your eyes and raise your arm up. Just relax it." Grandma Langford held Melissa's relaxed arm. "Okay now, when I let go of your arm just let it drop while still holding the knife. We're gonna do this six times then we'll read the marks and they will form the letters of your true love's first and last name. It works every time, so just trust an old lady on this."

With Charlie watching, huge grin on his face, Melissa and his grandmother repeated the arm drop six times. When they were through and the knife was put away, they looked at the marks on the table in front of Melissa.

"Well let's see here honey." The older woman pulled out a pair of glasses, bifocals, and placed them toward the front of her nose before leaning down to look at the marks. "These first three marks are either a "U" or a "C", but since any man with a "U" as the first letter is bound "homely" at best, we'll go with the "C", hmm… this last letter is either a "V" or an "L", now then do you wanna see if you've met him yet?"

"Granny," Charlie had lowered his head down on the table.

"You just put that mouth in neutral, young man, or I'll give you a double dose of castor oil, you hear me?"

Charlie had a look of a war vet having a flashback and very politely said, "Yes ma'am."

"Now then, young lady," the elderly woman produced a small pad of paper and a short pencil from the pocket of her house dress, "You take this and write out the numbers between one and ten, with each number on a separate piece of paper."

Melissa complied and wrote them out as she was told. As she did the old woman stood and picked up a wicker basket sitting on the window ledge above the sink and walked back to the table and sat down.

"Now I'm gonna fold these and put them in this basket," and she did just that and began to stand again, "Now, you right handed or left handed?"

"Right handed," Melissa said.

"With your left hand reach above your head and take a slip of paper out of the basket, but don't open it yet," Once again she had done what the old woman had told her, and after the basket was returned to its rightful place, the old woman sat down beside her.

"If the number is one thru five you have already met your true love, if the number is six thru ten you haven't," the old woman took the paper and opened it and then sat it in front of Melissa.

Melissa looked at the number and then at the old woman, "It's a four."

"Well baby," she had patted Melissa's hand, "your mister right has already crossed your path, and at least now you know his initials."

Charlie laughed, drawing the ire of both his grandmother and Melissa, "Yeah, Uber Vasectomy, the substitute teacher in gym is the man of your dreams "Red", I can see the two of you running through a field of flowers together as he whispers the love words every woman wants to hear, "Drop and give me twenty maggot!", Ah I can feel the love bloom already."

Melissa had flown out of the chair, she moved so fast, a look of pure venom in her eyes, "I'm gonna give you a vasectomy with my damn shoe "Chuck", call me "Red" one more time and I'll leave my shoe there!"

Charlie had reached the backdoor and then turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "RED," before quickly running into the backyard and through the hedge onto the street behind his grandmother's house, still yelling "RED" at the top of his lungs.

Melissa was behind him yelling things about Charlie and his manhood that left his grandmother laughing to the point of tears.

"I'd say the two letters were a "C" and an "L" honey," she yelled after Melissa.

When they started dating thatjunior year of high school, Charlie's grandmother pulled Melissa aside during a cook-out and sat her down in the kitchen, at the same table, and chuckled as she reminded and showed her the marks from that long ago day. She then looked her in the eyes and spoke quietly, "I knew back then you two were gonna get together. Hell, it was plain to see, I think that's why the two of you it was just too close to see. Sweetie, as much as I'd like to, I ain't gonna make it to see you two get married. I'm gonna be ninety-three this year, and while I ain't sick or anything like that, I'm getting kind of tired of missing my Joe. I was married to that man for forty-five years, through tough times and all, and I never have regretted one day of it. It's been almost ten years since he died and I'm lonely and ready to see him again. I'm telling you this because I want YOU, and only you, to have this table. Mine and Joe's marks are on the other side here. Charlie's mom and dad never did the test, so just we two have used this table and I want it to go to you. I know you'll use it well and make my little Charlie happy, because he's gonna marry you, I know it. Maybe name a daughter after me, Sara Langford, by that time the world will be ready for another one."

Grandmother Langford passed away quietly in her sleep one week into the senior year of high school. True to her word she left the kitchen table to Melissa.

.

Running her fingers over the shallow gouges in the table top, Melissa imagined sitting at the table with her daughter and playing out the old ritual with her. As she absent mindedly ate a fry she could see her older self having to stop older Charlie from beating some poor boy because he kissed his daughter. She took a bite of her sandwich and saw a future with many kids around the table, being loud, fussing, fighting, and coming together as one big family. She sighed a happy sigh and then began to look around at the empty walls, trying to decide what pictures she would hang and where.

.

.

Trent stepped into the doctor's lounge and blew air out of his lungs in a tired gesture, flopped down in one of the oversized chairs and threw his scrub hat to the floor in disgust. He'd spent four hours in the operating room with Mr. Alves and in the end hadn't been able to save him. He had been doing fine when Trent had left the hospital; they thought they had taken care of all the bleeders and other injuries from his car wreck. He seemed to be doing great, but sometime earlier in the morning an embolism in his leg had broken free and went to his heart. The efforts to revive him had played havoc with his stiches and from then on it was like trying to fix the Titanic with Silly Putty, he had called time of death twenty minutes ago.

Death was always a part of the game in medicine and as a doctor it was something that couldn't be ignored, after all that was the end result of life anyway. Tom had seen his share of it, but he still took it personally when he lost a patient. It left him feeling like he was worthless as a doctor, as if someone else might have saved the patient. He would sulk for a few hours, contemplate his career choice, and then go home. He looked at his watch, two-thirty, and sat bolt upright reaching for his phone.

""Christ, I better call Carly and check on Max, plus let her know when I'm gonna pick him up,"" he thought as he dialed her number.

As he dialed the image of Carly on the elevator yesterday flashed in his mind. She was beautiful, long shapely legs, gorgeous hips and behind, small but perky breast, long dark hair, and a vague Asian look about her eyes that gave her an exotic appearance that made her truly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

""Easy there tiger,""he told himself,""she's eighteen and you're forty and married, last thing you need is to play Humbert Humbert to her Lolita. That's a can of worms that no one needs opened.""

"Hello," Carly's voice caught him off guard and he fumbled for a second, "Ah, yes, Carly sorry this is Dr. Trent. I want to thank you for watching Max and I should…"

The door to the lounge flew open and an intern stepped in, out of breath, "Dr. Trent, thank god you're still here. The construction site over on Elm Street collapsed; we got one hundred to a hundred and fifty workers hurt. They're being routed to all area hospitals and it looks like we're gonna get at least thirty of them. We got everything from broken bones to internal bleeding. We need you in the ER stat!"

"Ah, listen Carly I hate to do this but…" he said as he stood and headed for the door.

"I heard Dr. Trent," Carly told him, "I'll keep him till you get here. He's no problem at all. I hope everything works out ok for you."

"Thank you Carly, you are an angel."

As he rushed down the hall, Trent couldn't get the song by the Police "Don't Stand So Close To Me" out of his head.

.

.

Carly hit the end button on her phone and looked at little Max watching some silly Dingo channel show where the adults were stupid and the kids did whatever they wanted to. She suddenly had a strong feeling of déjà vu as a dark headed girl, her blonde friend and a brown headed boy tried to make a teacher believe he was going crazy so they could go to a big concert or some such thing.

""This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen,"" she thought to herself as she watched, ""no way in hell are kids gonna run all over adults like that and get away with it. Look at this crap, no parent in their right mind is gonna let their teenage daughter stay with a sibling who is always shocking himself and others.""

"Carly," Spencer yelled from his shower, "would you bring me the fire extinguisher?"

"First, I put one under your sink," she chuckled, "and second, how do you start a fire in the shower?"

"I'm not sure about that myself," she could hear him opening the cabinet under the sink, "nothing to worry about, I think, is soap flammable? Never mind question answered."

Carly turned back to the T.V. and shook her head as the older brother shorted out a toaster and blacked out the city in the show, ""Like anyone is that dumb,""she chuckled to herself.

She noticed that Max, who was lying on the floor in front of the T.V., was getting droopy eyed and thought how cute he looked as he finally lost his battle with sleep and closed his eyes. Quietly she took the small blanket, which smelled of Sam's bacon, bacon, bacon and cheese sandwich, tomato and lettuce were of little value to her, and covered the little boy. She picked up the remote and sat back down on the couch and began to surf the channels for something to watch. She flashed passed Jason hacking some poor teenaged, who looked to be thirty, girl as she was dressing after having sex, Quentin Tarantino explaining that "Top Gun" is a metaphor for homosexuality, Paul Newman asking Strother Martian to stop being so good to him, which earned him a blackjack to the back of his head, Kurt Russell telling Lee Van Cleef that he was "going in" as he flew over New York, and William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, and Ben Johnson shooting and being shot by an insane amount of bullets as blood ran everywhere in some Mexican village.

She stopped when she saw Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez in a lust filled session at a restaurant bathroom. Looking to make sure Max was indeed asleep, she ran the volume down a little and sitting crossed legged on the couch sank herself into the movie. She watched for several minutes as they screwed with total abandon before she stopped and realized that she couldn't remember the name of the movie. She hit the info button on the remote and the movie title and a short description of the plot superimposed it's self over the action on screen.

.

Unfaithful (2002)

Cast:

Richard Gere

Diane Lane

Olivier Martinez

Erik Per Sullivan

Erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez. It was adapted by Alvin Sargent and William Broyles Jr. from the French film The Unfaithful Wife (1968) (La Femme infidèle) by the noted director Claude Chabrol. It tells about a couple living in suburban New York City whose marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling with a stranger she encounters by chance in Manhattan.

.

.

She remembered the movie, had even watched it once before, and had not liked it because of the casual way marriage vows were just tossed aside. She had felt that the Diane Lane character wasn't very likeable because of what she did.

Still she found herself watching the movie and slowly, in her mind, she was watching herself and Tom Trent in the scene rather than the actors. She and Trent were lustily going at it in the restroom. It was her moaning as Trent's hand played over her body, his grunts as he ripped her underwear off and pulled his pants down, her moaning in ecstasy as he entered her, their mingled sounds of lust as their sweat covered bodies met in a purely carnal and animalist act of sex.

"Carly, Carly," Spencer's voice snapped her out of her heated fantasy and she jerked her head around to meet his gaze, "Max is right there near the T.V. what you are doing watching something like this with him in the room? What if he woke up and saw that? I mean you were zoned out sister dear, what gives?"

"I…I didn't think I guess," Carly was still in a slight haze of lust and not able to process much of anything, "I'm kind of tired. Maybe I should lay down for a few minutes or something."

"Kind of looked like you were zoned out already sis," Spencer patted her head, "Go lay down for thirty minutes or so, I'll watch the little rug rat for you."

"Thanks Spencer," she hugged him and with thoughts still on a bathroom in a French restaurant and her and Tom Trent wildly having sex in a stall, Carly climbed the stairs to her room.

.

.

Well, well, seems Carly isn't just for kids anymore. Yes there a lot of things going on and believe it or not, I do know where this is going.

Once again I must give it up to Story Painter for service above and beyond. Your red pen must be out of ink by now, but the love it is used with is appreciated. She's my new lucky penny.

I have to take time to thank Writtenbyabdex for the friendship and the laughs; you are my other lucky penny.

Princess-Warrior 17: You are also a lucky penny of mine and I'm working on the one-shot I owe you. She has some amazing stuff and you should give her a look.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good. I wouldn't miss the chats for anything.

One last shout out to JuliIsMe, a sweet young lady and a talent to watch out for.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

As always review and let me know what you think.


	12. Groovin' On A Sunday Afternoon part 3

GROOVIN' On A Sunday Afternoon part 3

.

A/N: Thanks to StoryPainter for her tireless effort to help me produce writing that is readable while not making me feel stupid, LOL! Long live her red ink and patience.

.

Will and Tara were headed back to the entrance of the Fair, Tara carrying a ridiculously oversized panda bear Will had won at a water squirt game, and sharing a funnel cake with enough powdered sugar on it to put Seattle proper into a diabetic coma. Sharing the cake meant they were walking very close together and neither of them seemed to mind at all. They had spent the last four and a half hours riding the rides and playing the games as well as getting to know each other very well. They had teamed up on the bumper cars and became a two person _death crunch_ to their fellow riders. Will would push the other cars along till they got into Tara's line of fire, and then the two of them would T-bone the person's car much to the delight of everyone.

They both found an easy rhythm between themselves and quickly settled into a comfortable niche with each other. The conversation flowed easily and within minutes they were the best of friends. As the day went on, they began to walk closer to each other as they made their way through the fair.

Will noticed as they talked that Tara was really a very grounded person. She wasn't worried what everyone else did or thought she was her own person. He found himself noticing little things about her: her smile, the way her voice would raise when she was trying not to laugh when telling a story, the way she really loved her father and mother, and the way she seemed to enjoy the little things that most girls overlooked.

Rounding a booth with a fortune teller sign, they found one of those booths that take four pictures for a dollar-fifty. They stopped as what appeared to be a clown car full of people filed out of the booth. They counted eight people in all, turning to each other with the same look of utter amazement. Will pulled the curtain back and they both looked inside, neither of them could figure how eight people fit in the booth.

"Well since we are here and this has been a great day." Will launched into what Tara thought had to be the worst French accent she had ever heard. "Would the lady like a photo of this grand day?"

"Only, and I mean only- Tara was laughing and holding her nose like something stank- if you promise to never, ever to do a French accent again for as long as you live. That was without a doubt the most hideous attempt at a French accent I've ever heard. You actually lost a few cool points that you earned today."

"Was it really that bad?" he asked, pretending to be hurt by her words.

"Pepé Le Pew sounds better than you." She laughed as Will grabbed his chest as though an arrow had been shot through it. "That could easily cause France to declare war on us you know. For the sake of the entire planet you must never do that again, I mean don't even think about it, just stop it."

Laughing, Will stuck out his bottom lip like he was hurt. "You're just mean."

"No, that accent was just that bad." she grinned- "but so you don't feel all bad about yourself-" she stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his right cheek.

The spur of the moment gesture, made as a way of taking some of the sting out of her making fun of his French accent, brought both of them an unexpected charge.. They both turned crimson and for a second looked into each other's eyes with a questioning glance before decorum brought them back to their senses.

Will coughed and looked at the ground for a second, sure that he could see the grass grow in the awkward silence of the moment, and looked up at Tara's still red face. Despite the color she had a serene smile on her face that brought one to his.

With a perfectly normal voice, Will spoke as he pulled the curtain aside. "Step inside, my lady." She grinned at him and stepped in.

He fed the dollar into the slot and then slipped two quarters into the coin slot, entered and sat down next to Tara. The screen in front of them said to push the green button when ready and the machine would give them instructions.

"Ready?" Will asked as he prepared to lean down and press the button.

"Wait." Tara combed all her hair over her face, took out a bottle of water and poured it all over her head so her hair was wet. She then took out a piece of paper and drew a circle on it before pulling her hair back so Will could see her smile.

"I'll pay for the second set, but I've always wanted to do this." She laughed and he got it immediately.

"Sure thing, _Samara_." He laughed and stepped out of the booth.

He stood at the little tray where the four pictures dropped and chuckled as the flash popped four times and the black and white photos appeared.

The first was her crude, but eerily accurate, ring drawing from the movie _The Ring_.

The second one showed Tara at the back of the booth looking for all the world like a slightly heavier version of _Samara_ from the same movie.

The third one showed Tara, in the same pose, only directly in front of the camera.

The fourth one, the one that had him on the ground laughing, featured Tara, face partially reveled by her hands pulling back her hair, her eyes crossed, tongue sticking out, her middle fingers shooting birds at the camera as they stuck out from her hair.

She stepped out of the booth with a huge grin on her face as she tied her hair into a ponytail and took the snapshots out of the tray.

She laughed at the four pictures and then at Will rolling on the ground slapping his hand. Through giggles and coughs managing to spit out, "You'll be screwed in the head in seven days!"

After the laughing stopped, Will stood and went into the booth as Tara put the money in and joined him.

The first picture was just of the two of them smiling into the camera. The second one they each had bunny ears behind each other's heads and smiles. The third one Tara had Will by the throat, as if choking him, and Will was cowering like a victim in a horror movie. The fourth one was what they call the _money_ shot, the best of the lot. Sitting up straight, Will's left arm over Tara's shoulder was natural and spoke volumes with its simple elegance. The smiles were genuine as was the level of ease they shared with each other, and they looked like any young couple in love, except they weren't a couple.

They took the pictures and looked and laughed at them as they walked to the front gate. As they walked they played the bump game, where you bump into the person next to you and then they bump into you, with each other like all couples do, but yet again, they weren't a couple.

They reached the front gate and found their parents in the midst of some conversation that had them laughing, well Mr. and Mrs. Graham laughing along with Mr. Rollins as Mrs. Rollins was in another coughing fit.

"Well, well we leave you kids alone for a few hours and you hang out at the gate?" Will, sounding for all the world like his dad, chastised the adults.

"Well, well if it isn't the old fuddy duddy squares just wandering around like they can't find their walkers or something like that," the elder Graham shot back with a preverbal shit eating grin.

The Rollins and the Grahams had become fast friends in their few hours at the fair. Henry Rollins and Vic Graham were cut from the same cloth. They were hard working family men who took their jobs seriously and did the same with playtime. While not saints, they were men after all; neither of them had ever strayed from their wives and found the idea contemptible. Each showed his age a little and their paunch was growing more every year, but they didn't care. They had reached middle age and had handled it well. Within ten minutes of talking they landed on football, baseball, and the other love of both their lives: poker. When the talk turned to poker, they pondered the idea that they were brothers separated at birth.

When poker hit the table, both Kara Rollins and June Graham knew they were on their own. They found that they themselves also had much in common. They both despised poker, loved their sometimes idiot husbands, and most of all enjoyed the fact that they had been able to be stay at home moms. Neither of them was part of the _ERA_ movement; they thought it was great for most women; they, however, had had different dreams born in a different time. They had grown up watching their mothers as housewives, oh such a dirty word these days, and didn't see it as a trap or a dead-end existence like a lot of women. They took as much pride in the way they, not their husbands, ran the households. For them it was as rewarding as being the CEO of some large multinational corporate giant, maybe even better than. They held down the fort so that the rest of the family could soar. They felt it was a noble job and enjoyed doing it. Somewhere along the way the word housewife had become an ugly word, a put down term, a term of disrespect to women by women. _She's just a housewife_, women who worked outside the home would say, forgetting that the _housewife_ they were belittling was in fact the person who made their leap into the corporate world possible. Those _housewives_ were the ones who cooked the meals and got them to school. The _housewife_, mom, was the one who made sure they had the right school books, spent their days running from practice to practice, sold the popcorn and candy bars for the PTA, raised the money for new books in the library._ Housewives_ in fact did more in one day for their families than anyone ever thought about. It was a thankless job and only the strongest of women could do it.

The two couples found a common ground between them and were on the way to becoming best friends. For once it was the men who saw the signs instead of the women. Vic noticed the way his son stood next to Tara and for a brief second, quicker than the blink of an eye, their shadows merged and Vic shot a look at Henry and without a word knew he saw the same thing.

Will had always done okay with the girls; he wasn't what the kids called a _player_ or anything, but he'd had a few girlfriends over the years and had told Vic, yes he actually talked to Vic about things, that they were all pretty shallow after you scraped the make-up off. This girl was different, Will was different. They had a rhythm while they spoke, stopping and starting each other's sentences of what they did during the day.

Vic grinned as they told the parents about the day, and he looked at Henry, seeing the same glint of knowledge in his eyes as he knew was in his.

Just like a young couple in love, but they weren't a couple, yet.

As they walked out of the gate and toward the cars, Tara turned to Will. "So you gonna take Sam out tonight?" She wasn't really sure why she asked or why she suddenly, and very strongly, wanted him to say no.

"Well." Will truly had no plans to ask Sam. "To be honest I hadn't thought about it. Where are you and Freddie going tonight?" He wanted her to say some brightly lit mall or fast food place, anyplace where romantic thoughts would be hard to come by and even harder to act on.

"Well it was just going to be me and him having dinner and seeing a movie." She felt strange telling Will about this, almost like she was… was… cheating on him for some reason. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. "But I told my friends Linda and Sally about it, and now we seem to be going on a group outing instead of a date."

"Wow that sucks." Will could barely contain the smile that wanted to spread across his face.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my friends; Linda and Sally are great, but they both are determined that by the end of summer they are going to get laid." Tara said the last part quietly so that only Will could hear. "You probably don't know that much about them, but my friend Linda is quite the bookworm and she's paired up with Gibby."

"Isn't he the one that Sam calls a mermaid or something like that?"

"That's Gibby all right." She laughed. "I don't know how he and Linda ended up together; that one still hasn't sunk in just yet. He's a sweet guy, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the blood doesn't make it to the whole brain."

Will burst out laughing at Tara's comment, and she smiled, thinking to herself, _He has a really great laugh_.

"Brad and Sally make even less sense," she went on. "I mean he's kind of, oh how do I say this right, one big gonad. He is a typical teenage male. What's that saying that Linda's scuzzy older brother uses? Oh yeah, Brad, who is nice and for the most part harmless, is of the opinion that _old enough to bleed, old enough to breed_. She affected a very good Brooklyn male accent with the phrase that sent both of them into fits.

"He's said that?"

"Well not out loud to me or anything, but one look in his eyes and you can smell what the gonad is cooking, if you get my drift. Sally is scared of her own shadow, at least that's what she shows everyone, but she has some of the dirtiest paperback books I've ever seen, and my uncle was a merchant marine and lived with us for three years. That book _Fifty Shades Of Gray_ is Dr. Seuss compared to some of the wild crap that girl reads. I swear one of the titles is _Barnyard Loving_, and no I have never even wanted to know what it was about."

"I don't know." Will grinned. "Sounds to me like Brad and Sally are pretty evenly matched. You might want to warn him, she sounds like the type to have him in leg irons and a diaper before he could see what's happening."

It was now Tara's turn to laugh, and she laughed hard. She shook as tears streamed down her face and latched onto Will, burying her face in his arm as she kept on her feet by holding on to him.

_My God what a beautiful laugh_ Will thought as he helped her stay on her feet.

As the tears ran down her now beet red face, she managed to get out between breaths and giggles, "I… I… see… her… slapping his… his… his ass with… a… with a… pie!"

Will suddenly found himself flipping through the photo album of the whole day in his head. The way she had smiled at him as he sent the asshole clown into the water. The way she wouldn't ask for cotton candy as they passed the booth, even though she really wanted some. The maniac on the bumper cars who gleefully went after people almost as if she were a cat stalking a mouse, the way she had moved closer to him as they walked through the freak exhibit, the three headed baby had even unnerved him, the discussion about the importance of making sure that your sausage had syrup on it before eating it, the little grin and the sparkle she had in her eyes when he had won the panda bear for her, and suddenly he found himself in a very strange position; he was dating, well had been on two dates: the beach and the movies: someone, and yet here he was, doing something he would not have thought possible. He was falling for this girl, and falling hard, while dating another girl.

"So what do think about that idea?" Tara's voice snapped him out of the trance he had been in.

"I'm sorry." He did his best to try and hide the fact that not only had he been thinking about her, but had also sprouted an erection while doing it. "I zoned out on you for a second. What idea?"

"Well I'll ask Freddie." She wondered if this invitation was really a good idea, but it was too late to forget it now. "If he minds, but since we'll be stuck with two other couples anyway, why don't you ask Sam and make it a quad date?"

_Whoa, whoa, whoa there champ_, Will thought._ This is a very bad idea and nothing good will come of it._ _Say no_.

"That sounds like a great idea."

_What, I said say no_, _dumbass, this is going to go south on you quick_.

"I'll call her right now."

_You may just be the dumbest asshole on the face of the planet. Just you watch_, _**sport,**_ _your head is going to be so far up your ass that you'll be able to watch your food digest, moron_.

As his left and right brain fought, he took his cellphone out of his pocket, while still hiding his hard-on, and called Sam.

.

.

Mutt pranced ahead of Sam and Freddie, thinking that his people were the best and sure that he was the master of the world. Just twenty-four hours ago, he had been alone and a little scared. The man and the boy had taken him and his four brothers and sisters to a place with the smell of food and crowded with people. One by one his brothers and sisters were taken out of the box they shared till he was the only one left. He was very sad and lonely, so when the man picked him up, he was excited. He was excited right up to the moment the man set him down in the alley and then walked away. He whined and tried to follow the man, but the man got into the big box with wheels on it and left.

He had spent the next few hours looking in vain for the man or the boy. The sky had turned dark and he was hungry, tired, but most of all he was scared. He began to think no one would find him or help him, till he rounded a corner of a building and bumped into the dark haired man and the light haired woman. He had known the moment the light haired woman spoke to him he had found his humans. They had fed him and cared for him, so they were his. He had had a good day with the two of them and hoped that the three of them would do this again very soon. He liked his…

All thoughts were lost as he spotted a squirrel darting out in front of them. He let loose his war cry and took off after it till he reached the end of the leash.

"Easy there, killer," Sam cooed at the tiny badass and his puppy bark. "Mister Squirrel just might give you a tough fight."

Sam couldn't help but smile at the little puppy with the heart of a lion as he stopped trying to chase the squirrel but didn't take his eyes off of it either.

As they walked back to Bushwell, Sam suddenly noticed that her and Freddie's shadows had morphed into one large one and then separated again. She thought about how strange her life had become over the last few days as their shadows merged again. She couldn't get the big goofy smile off her face for anything. It was then that they passed the knife store and the shadow, the demon that had taken part of her childhood, crept out of its cage in her mind.

.

.

Her home life had never been normal, not even close, but it had been better than it was now. Her mom had always been a hell raiser; mom had even spent time in a juvenile detention center by the age of nine_**, acorns don't fall too far from the tree**_, _**Sammy**_**, **and ended up pregnant at seventeen. Samuel Puckett, Sam was named after her father, was a young man who, although most likely wasn't her biological father had offered to marry Pamela Melanie Schneider, and she had said yes. As far as Sam knew her mother had rarely if ever been faithful to Samuel. In fact sometimes her mom had gone out of her way to let everyone know that she slept with whomever she pleased and seemed to not care how it made Samuel feel.

_What was that word_, she thought to herself. _Cuckold, yeah that's it, cuckold. God what a monster mom was to him._

Samuel had taken care of her and Melanie the best he could. He fed them, clothed them, and gave them as much love as he could. He had also tried to take care of Pam as best he could, but unlike the girls Pam didn't appreciate it at all. If anything, she stepped up her humiliation of him even more. Her mom started to bring guys home with her, while Sam, Melanie, and Samuel were there. Her mom would have sex with men while the three of them could hear, and Sam watched her father slowly breakdown in front of her.

Sam had gotten sick at daycare one day, about six months after she had turned five. When her mother had not answered the phone Sam had,__convinced the daycare lady to let her wait outside for her mom, who was coming. Even at five years old, Sam had the gift of con_**. Acorn don't fall too far from the tree, little missy.**_ After the woman walked inside, Sam had left and walked the ten minutes home.

She knew something was wrong the minute she walked inside the door. She heard the sounds of her mom and her _**friend**_ of the day going at it and wanted to scream. As she had walked into the living room, she noticed the note. She could tell her father had written it. _**He had always written so pretty**_, Sam had thought, and it was addressed to her mom. She couldn't read it, most of the words being big words she hadn't learned yet, but she could feel it wasn't good, and she had felt a cold chill race down her spine. She had kept the note and when she learned how to read spent years memorizing the note and could, even to this day, quote it verbatim:

.

_**Dear Pam,**_

_**I've tried for so long to give you and the girls all the love that I have, but I guess it wasn't enough. I did, I do, and always will love you all. I don't know why I wasn't enough for you but I am sorry that I couldn't have been what you wanted.**_

_**I've given you everything I have and now I give you the only thing I have left to give, your freedom. I hope my death will allow you to find whatever it is that you need to be happy.**_

_**Please tell the girls I love them and don't let them find me first.**_

_**With all the love I have left to give you,**_

_**Samuel**_

_**.**_

.

After looking through the house she found him in the bathroom. He was fully clothed, one of their best kitchen knives sitting on the side of the tub, and he was white as a ghost. The water was a pinkish red and her father's eyes were closed, like he was asleep. She knew, even at five, that he wasn't asleep. She screamed till her voice gave out and then screamed a silent scream till her mom, who hadn't left her _**friend**_ till she had had her orgasm, arrived in a robe and took her from the room.

As the years went by, Sam learned that her mom had come home to see the note, but had been in such a hurry to _**bang her friend**_ that she hadn't taken time to read it. It killed her to think that the last sounds her father had heard were her mother having sex with some random dude.

She had lied her whole life, telling people her father walked out on them; she didn't want people to know how he had really died. She felt that somehow this lie was somewhat better than letting people know that he had killed himself.

It had also begun her lifelong **love/hate** relationship with her mom. Melanie had gotten a scholarship to a fancy boarding school and that left just Sam and her mom to share the house, which really meant Sam had to spend large amounts of time alone as her mom seemed to feel that she needed to sleep with every lowlife in the Seattle area. Her hate for her mom grew exponentially with the time she spent alone in the house.

She had softened somewhat toward her mother after she had skipped school and came home early one day. Sam had slipped in her bedroom window only to hear soft sobs coming from the living room. She snuck down the steps and saw her mother drinking and looking at the only happy picture Sam had ever seen of her mom and dad. It was one of the four of them at some park on her and Mel's first birthday. Her dad was holding her and her mom had Mel. The smiles were real, and it was the only time she had seen her mom looking with love at her dad.

Sam had sat quietly on the steps and listened to her mother, the slur of alcohol making it hard but not impossible to understand. In her entire life she had never seen her mother cry, much less the almost full breakdown she had witnessed that day.

"Sam," Pam had taken a long slug from the bottle she held in one hand. "I was so fucking pissed at myself." She took a long drink, empting the bottle. "Here I was seventeen and knocked-up. I was going to lose all of the things that I thought I wanted at the time and have to grow up and be responsible and I didn't want to."

Pam had stood, very shakily, stumbled to the small liquor table by the fire place and returned to the couch, tacking like a sailor from left to right in her quest to sit down again. She had fallen more than sat down, never letting go of the family photo. She had reached clumsily for the pack of Winston cigarettes lying on the coffee table and pulled one out. She lit it with a zippo lighter and seemed to lose herself in the fog of smoke and drink for a minute. It was the first time Sam had seen the one side of Pam Puckett that almost never surfaced, Pam Puckett who regretted all the bad decisions and pain she inflicted on others.

"I thought of you as the face of all that was wrong in my life." Another swig of booze; that time spilling some on herself and the couch. "I saw you as the face of what was taking my youth from me, and I despised you for it. I despised you because even with everything I did to you, you stayed. Bet you didn't know girls can have the Peter Pan syndrome, did ya, Samuel? Oh Jesus, I was so angry and you were so close to take it out on. I didn't deserve you. I thought I'd drive you away before you left me, yeah that fucking worked out great, didn't it?"

Ash had fallen from the cigarette, into Pam's considerable cleavage, but she hadn't seemed to notice. As she turned the bottle up to her lips again, Pam spilled more than she drank, and she had then thrown the bottle against the wall across from the couch while emitting a primal scream of anger and pain that had scared Sam to her core.

Her mother had seemed to catapult off the couch and with the fury of a hurricane started to destroy the living room while screaming like a mad woman. Books, chairs, glasses, tables, and any other thing not too heavy for Pam was thrown about as her screams became a silent howl of pure rage and pain.

Sam had almost gone down to her mother, but for one of the first times in her life, she was petrified and couldn't move at all. The fit Pam had thrown that day was unlike anything Sam had ever seen from her mom. Sam became afraid that her mother might harm herself or just simply continue on into complete madness.

Pam had grabbed the picture she had been looking at and talking to and hummed it across the room, where the glass of the frame shattered. As soon as it left her hand, Pam began to scramble across the debris of her tantrum toward the photo, tripping and falling several times on the mess, cutting her knees and hands as she crawled to the frame.

"No, no, no, no," she had croaked hoarsely, picking the frame up and pulling it close to her breast, "Samuel, oh my God I'm so sorry, I… I… didn't mean it, any of it. I wanted to be seventeen forever and I… oh my God, Samuel, I wanted to make everyone feel as shitty as I felt."

Pam had begun to trace a shaking index finger over the picture in a tender manner. Tears began to pour down again and her lower lip trembled.

"I couldn't tell you then or maybe I didn't want to." Pam's words were slurred. "But I did love you so much. More than I could have told you. So much it scared me to death because that would have meant growing up. I'm so sorry, Samuel; I never told you that or just how much you really meant to me. I pray every day that somehow, wherever you are, that you can forgive me, because I can't forgive myself."

Sam had crept back up the stairs and gone out her bedroom window, walking to the park, and for the first time in years, she cried till she had no tears left. She never told anyone about that day, not even her mom, She had gone from hating her mom to pitying her. After that day she cleaned her up when she would pass out drunk and tried to take care of her as man after man used her mom then threw her away. Sam had made her mind up from that time on that she would never go down the same path as her mom. She decided she would keep her virginity till a man that was worthy of it came into her life.

.

.

"Sam, are you okay?" Freddie had stopped and turned Sam toward him after asking her repeatedly about watching Mutt while he was out with Tara. "Sam say something, you're scaring me here just a little."

Mercifully, Freddie's voice brought her out of the memory, but not before the tears had begun to well up in her eyes.

"Sam, princess, are you ok?" He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. He was prepared for a nut shot, a swift kick in the shin, a punch in the stomach, or maybe a double fist dance on his face. He wasn't prepared for what he got; a bone crushing, air stealing hug that felt like she was hanging on for dear life.

For the first time in her life, outside of Carly at least, Samantha Puckett, the resident badass of Ridgeway High School, allowed someone to see and hear her cry. It was a cathartic moment in her life, even if she didn't know it yet.

After everything they had been through the past twenty-four hours, everything they had done, Sam felt safe enough to let the pain out with Freddie. She knew he wouldn't turn it against her later, like she would have done to him years ago; she knew that she could trust him with this and it set her free.

He guided her to a bench at a bus stop, Mutt hovering close by, sensing that his woman was unhappy and that simply would not do.

Freddie knew enough to know that, right now, the only thing he needed to do was to be silent and just hold her, which is what he did. Slowly, as he rubbed circles over her back, she calmed down and began to breathe much easier.

As she calmed down,she began to tell Freddie the whole story. She'd never told anyone, not even Carly, the whole story before, but she told it to Freddie without even thinking about it. The story spewed from her in a great wave of emotional bile that had clogged her life for far too long. She left nothing out, telling him every sordid detail till she had nothing left to tell. She looked up at him after she had finished, looked into his dark brown eyes that radiated comfort and peace and was amazed at how light she felt, how much better she felt than she had ever felt before, or at least in a long time. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"God, Sam, I'm so sorry." She knew it wasn't pity he was offering her, but something that she had needed and wanted for a long time, understanding. She felt that funny wave that had been running through her the last few days come back as they held each other.

_This is where I want to be, this is where I __**need**__ to be_, she thought as she felt a total emotional freedom that she could never remember having before.

"Hey." She felt his chest rumble as he spoke to her, and she felt a warmth flow through her. "Someone wants to make sure you're all right."

He pointed down and she saw Mutt jumping at her leg, his doggie look of concern on his face. She smiled and reached down to pick up the squirming mass of puppy and he leapt into her arms, proceeding to bathe her in kisses as he climbed on her shoulder.

As Freddie produced a handkerchief from his back pocket, Sam almost laughed at him.

_Of course my nub would have a handkerchief to offer a lady when she needed it_, she thought. _My nub? I mean the nub_.

_No you didn't, you meant your nub_, _Sammy, and you know it_.

_Bullshit, it was a slip…_

_Of the tongue? Sammy you didn't say it out loud_, the inner voice chuckled at her. _Or did you_?

Sam was shocked when her phone rang; she actually jumped a little at it, and then was almost made deaf as Mutt, still on her shoulder, barked at the sound.

She hadn't assigned him a place on her phone, but Sam knew it was Will and felt a little guilty about the fact that she was here alone with Freddie. She almost felt like she was cheating on Will, but what made her feel more guilty was the fact that she was getting a call from Will while she was alone with Freddie. She felt like a she was driving down a road and had two people standing in front of her car, she could avoid hitting only one of them, and despite her reputation, Sam didn't want to hurt either one of them.

"Sam, Sam, you gonna answer that or just let it ring and drive our son nuts?" Freddie laughed as Mutt barked at her phone like it was trying to take food from him.

"Huh… oh shit, right." A blush crept across her face, and she hoped he didn't see it. He did.

"Hello," she said when she finally got the accept button pressed and handed Mutt to Freddie.

"Hey, Sam, it's Will. She wasn't sure if it was because of the way she felt, but he sounded a little strange. "Listen I know it's kind of late notice but…"

Freddie's phone went off and Mutt leapt from his arms to the ground, starting a new wave of barking.

Freddie didn't know the number but answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey, Freddie," Tara said, feeling more than a little strange about talking to him as she walked beside Will. "Please don't hate me for this, but I was talking to Linda and Sally last night and they asked what we were going to do on our." She froze for a second, not really wanting to say the next word within earshot of Will, so she turned her head and said in a much lower tone. "Date, and before I could stop myself, I told them and now they have turned this into a triple date or more like a quadruple date. We ran into Will at the Fair my dad took us to and we kind of hung out, and once again I hope you're not mad, but I invited him and Sam to come along so we at least have two other people who aren't bedbug crazy."

Freddie was actually very relieved when she told him. He knew he had to talk to her. At least they would be in a group and he hoped it would be easier on both of them. If he were honest with himself, he would also say that being near Sam for the evening, even if she was on a date, appealed to him.

"Tara, I'm not mad if you're not; it should be a blast," he told her.

"Oh thank God." He could hear the relief in her voice, and he thought he picked up on something else but couldn't put his finger on it. "So six-thirty then?"

He looked at his watch. It was four-twenty now; he'd have just enough time to shower and get to church by five then get to her house easily by six-thirty. "You got it, ma'am. I'll be there and, oh wait a minute, are we all meeting up at your house or somewhere else?"

"Crap." Tara sounded miffed at herself. "I never thought to ask." He heard her speak to someone near her hand over the mic before started talking to him again. "Will is standing right here, and it turns out he's only like seven or eight blocks from my house, so he was wondering if it wouldn't be easier for the two of you to just meet us here and Sally, Linda, Gibby, and Brad can meet us wherever we decide to go?"

"Sure, that's cool with me." He was very glad about the whole situation if he were to be honest with himself. He felt that it might help to take the sting out of what he had to say. He was also surprised that he didn't mind Sam on a date with Will as long as he was there with her.

"Ok, Tara, well I've got to get cleaned up and run an errand for my mom, so I'll see you tonight, chick," Freddie said before he hung up.

Sam hung up her phone and just the barest of a smile crossed her face. "Well, I guess we're quad dating tonight?"

"Looks that way." Freddie grinned as they both stood up and began to walk back to the apartment.

As they walked, Mutt in the lead, Sam would shoot sideway glances up at Freddie, wondering how and why she had never noticed the calm and soothing aura that he exuded. As they walked in silence, Sam began to work on her own plan for the summer.

_What does Freddie do on Sundays that he won't tell anybody about_? she thought. _I sure as hell intend to find out_.

As they went up the street, they began to play the bump game, just as Tara and Will had done at the fair. Sam found herself almost giddy and more girly feeling than she had ever felt in her life, but most of all, for the first time in a long time, she was very hopeful about the future.

"Crap!" Sam stopped as something suddenly swept across her mind. "What are we going to do about Mutt tonight? We can't leave him alone for that amount of time, Freddie; he'll think we've deserted him or something."

"Relax, princess." Freddie smiled at her. "You can keep him till time for us to go, then my mom will watch him."

Sam's thoughts quickly settled onto her plan to find out what Freddie's Sunday _**errands**_ were. "Uh about that, Fredlumps, I haven't really been home since Friday, and even though I don't really want to, I do need to at least pop in and act like I live there."

Freddie chuckled and thrust his hip sideways to bump hers and said, "Okay, princess, not a problem. my mom will watch Mutt and I can pick you up at your house."

He knew his church was close, three blocks from Sam's house, and it wouldn't take him long to get there.

Sam, who had no idea where or how long it would take her to get back to her house from finding out about his _**errand**_, so she hedged her bet some. "Sounds cool, but just wait out front, and call me and I'll come out, just in case Mom is, well you know, okay?" She bumped him back as they stopped to let Mutt squat and water a weed growing out of the sidewalk.

"You got it, my lady." Freddie smiled but felt a tug at his heart over the life Sam had to lead when she was away from Carly and him. Now that he knew her story, he would add her to the prayer list, a list of names that was given at church of people who needed prayers said for them for different reasons. He knew that since only first names were given, and he would use the name Samantha instead of Sam, he wouldn't be betraying her trust by adding her to the nightly prayers.

"Since this has become a gang date now, maybe we should ask Carly and Dale if they want to come," Sam said.

"Might as well." he snickered. "Gang Date? That was really funny, blondie. This whole thing could get easily out of hand, what with eight to ten people out together."

"I know, ain't it cool?" Sam smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

As they approached Bushwell, the hip bump game stopped and Sam stopped at the doors. She looked up at Freddie and smiled like she never had before, sending a faint current through his body.

"Well." Sam bent down and loved on Mutt for a few seconds, much to his pleasure, and then stood up to face Freddie again. "I better head to the barn and prove to my mom that I'm still alive."

"Okay then, blondie," he said when out of the blue, and very much welcomed, Sam hugged him.

It took her several seconds to realize what she had and was doing then a few more seconds to stop.

"Um … later at my house," she said quickly as she turned and quickly walked away so he wouldn't be able to see the goofy smile on her face or the blush that spread across her cheeks.

Mutt began to whine when Sam turned the corner and got out of sight. Freddie picked him up and scratched the puppy's ear. "I know, Buddy, I know. I am so screwed."

Freddie walked in the door of the apartment building with a thousand different thoughts racing through his mind.

.

.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good. I wouldn't miss the chats for anything.

Writtenbyabdex: Thanks for the shoulder to cry on and the whoopee cushion to make me laugh.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

Princess-Warrior 17

As always review and let me know what you think.


	13. Checkpoints And Cheaters

Checkpoints and Cheaters

A/N= Not a lot of iCarly in this one but it does flesh out two characters that are important to the story.

Storypainter, You have made me a better writer and I've driven you crazy. Seems like a fair trade to me.

.

.

Charlie Langford was, quite frankly, too damn tired and hot to be standing at Checkpoint Delta, one and a half miles outside the city limits of Kandahar, Afghanistan. With his full pack, body armor, and weapons he was caring at least thirty to forty pounds extra weight in one hundred and six degree heat. When you factored in that checkpoint duty was one of the most stressful jobs there was, outside of bomb detail, the days spent checking ID's and watching for any sign of infiltrators in the heat wore a man down, body and soul.

Their job was simple. Stop anyone entering or leaving the city limits, check their ID's and then the person themselves. While it sounded like a very simple process, in the middle of a hostile climate like Kandahar, it was like stretching one's nerves till almost the breaking point, and then having a thousand tap dancers dance on them for six full hours.

Sometimes they would go for hours without a single person passing through the checkpoint, and that was when things could go horribly wrong. The heat and the mind numbing stagnation of doing nothing caused you to let your guard down and was an invitation to disaster and death.

As hour number four slowly ground its way down, Charlie watched a dust devil twirl at the side of the road. The tiny tornado twisted and threw sand around in a small random manner. Charlie had spent his youth in Texas and had always been fascinated watching the mini twisters. When he was eight he had set up a toothpick city street in the field behind his house the summer before his family moved to Tennessee. He waited for over a month, and finally, one day in July it happened; a very windy day and a dust devil blew up. He watched as it danced over and through the little toothpick street. It was fascinating to see parts of the model remain untouched and others blown away like the dust.

He had been used to heat in Texas and even during his first tour in Afghanistan, but it had never been anything but a dry heat. Kandahar, at this moment, was far different than he had ever felt before. The humidity in and around the Afghan town had soared to an unheard of sixty-five percent which turned the searing desert into a more lethal hell than it already was.

The human body reacts to heat by sweating. The heat is dissipated from the body by turning the water on the skin into vapor and is replaced by more sweat, and the step is repeated as many times as the body decides is needed to cool itself down.

Almost all deserts have what is called a _**dry heat**_, which simply means that there is little or no humidity, and it is easier to sweat and for that sweat to vaporize and help cool the body down. Humidity, water vapor in the air, slows and can even stop the body from sweating because the water vapor from the body has nowhere to go. In high humidity areas, the body sweats less because the water in the air actually condenses on the skin, and when the body can't sweat properly, it doesn't cool down well and leaves you hotter than a dry heat.

_Yeah_, _but it's a dry heat_. Words Charlie had heard spoken by the men in his family since he was a boy played through his mind as the dust devil twisted its way across the gravel of the road. He could feel the sweat roll down the back of his head and mix with the omnipresent sand on his neck.

If war and religion were touchstones of Afghanistan, then sand was the thread that stitched the country together. Despite some lush mountainous regions and several milder climate zones, sand flowed through the country like a river flowed to the sea. It could almost be counted as a living entity. It moved in the air and seeped into every part of the land. Charlie and the other Marines had to clean their weapons daily, sometimes twice daily, just to stay ahead of its corroding effect. It populated the air, the water, and almost felt as if it populated the very soul of a man. Charlie had returned once after a long patrol outside the north-east quadrant outside of Kandahar, yet another wasted day looking for strongholds of terrorists camps, and after spending well over an hour cleaning his weapons and gear, had showered. He had stepped out of the shower and had run a towel over his close cropped hair only to feel and see sand fall to the deck. It had stayed in his mind, and he was now convinced that the sand was alive and following its own agenda outside the loop of mankind.

"Langford,_**Langford**_, get your fucking head out of your ass and look alive," a voice ripped him out of his lapse into self-thought.

"Right, Sergeant Raymond, just thinking about your sister." Charlie grinned as he turned to the nearly fifty year old platoon Sergeant who had become as much a friend to Charlie as he had a mentor.

"Keep it up, numbnuts, and I'll be poking that redheaded beauty of yours while you hunt fly shit out in this fucking blast furnace," Raymond hissed back at him, a grin crossing his weathered and lined face.

Sergeant Carlos Raymond was a third generation American and a third generation Marine. When his grandfather had emigrated from Cuba in 1935 with little more than the clothes on his back and a determination to live in and serve America. Manuel Limpiador arrived in Miami, Florida in May of 1935 and was renamed, as was the case during those times, Michael Raymond. He became an American citizen in the fall of 1937 and joined the Marines the following summer. Michael, like most immigrants, had understood the true power and magic of America. He and other immigrants like him had seen the things that other countries had to offer and understood that despite the many problems the USA had it was still the best thing out there.

The Raymond's were thankful and proud of their adopted country and paid it back by serving in the military or more specifically the Marines. Carlos had joined the Marines after college. He had been the first in his family to graduate college, something that had made his grandfather very proud. It had been one of the only two times he had ever seen the old man cry.

Carlos had refused the OCS (Officers Candidate School) offer when he joined, as was his right as a college graduate, and became a _**Grunt**_ just like his grandfather and father before him.

_Officers are like gym teachers boy_. He could hear his grandfather banging his cane on the porch swing that he and Carlos would sit on during the summer before Carlos went to Paris Island, South Carolina.

_Those who can, they do; those who can't, they teach; and those who can't teach well, they teach gym_.

His grandfather was as passionate about officers as he was his country. There had never been one officer that was worth as much as a good Sergeant in his grandfather's eyes, and Carlos had discovered that belief was pretty much on target. He had yet to meet an officer who could find his ass with both hands and a flashlight.

Sergeant Raymond had served for over twenty-five years in the Marines, having joined right out of college and had served in every possible place a Marine could serve. He had had his first real taste of combat in the first Gulf War, and it had left a sour taste in his mouth. They had had Saddam Hussein within their sites, and the paper pushers in Washington got scared because some soldiers had died and ended the thing too quick. He knew then they would be back again, and that many more men would die because of the chicken switch pulling _elected officials_ who didn't want the deaths to happen on their watch.

September 11, 2001, at least in Carlos' mind, they reaped the whirlwind they had allowed to remain free. For a second time he returned to Iraq, and just as he had suspected, the loss of life was much greater than the first Gulf War had been. That war had led them to Afghanistan and this humidly hot shithole of a checkpoint.

Sergeant Raymond had taken a shine to Lance Corporal Charlie Langford the moment he had been assigned to Raymond's squad. He knew Charlie wasn't a _**lifer **_like himself, but he had seen the fire of pride in Langford's eyes and he was reminded of himself at Charlie's age.

He had come to think of Charlie as the son he'd never had. Carlos had been married to the Marines for twenty-five years and never had time for a wife or children. He had left it up to his three brothers to keep the family bloodline going, and he had settled into the serve your country side of the family equation. He had spent a great deal of time with Charlie and had imagined that the boy would have been just like the son he might have had.

The crunch of gravel caused both men to turn toward the south-east and smile. An older teacher, Ahmad Bahar, was leading his class of thirty-two boys down the road toward the checkpoint. The boys, ages five to six, were being led to a site three _**klicks**_ (**three kilometers or a little over two miles**) outside the city proper that had been cleared by the Marines months earlier. It had become a place to learn about the old customs. The young boys would learn old tribal customs and songs that told of the glory of long ago days. They marched in a straight line one hand on the shoulder of the boy in front of them. The boys smiled at the Marines and looked with awe at the weapons they carried. They showed no sign of fear of the Marines; indeed seemed to like them very much.

"Nasab, here come the kids, we need your skill," Carlos shouted.

Nasab Abd al-Aziz was the translator provided by the Afgan army. He was an easy going young man who seemed to almost be above the heat of the day. He smiled as if every tooth must show, and he had an uncanny knack for spotting trouble before it arrived.

Nasab walked toward the teacher and smiled.

"صباح الخير السيد بهار، ويوم آخر في الموقع أرى." (**Good morning, Mr. Bahar, another day at the site I see**.) Nasab smiled at the teacher and took his papers.

As Nasab went through the formality of looking at the travel papers and ID papers for the children three men stepped into view walking slowly toward the checkpoint. Charlie and Carlos stood a little taller and brought all the other men in the squad to attention. The men seemed nervous, Carlos thought as he scanned them from head to toe as they walked toward the Marines. The middle one was taller than the other two, and he seemed to be averting his eyes from the Sergeant to some unseen point just beyond each foot fall. The smaller man on the left seemed to be looking behind himself while trying not to look like he was. The man on the right seemed to be looking for something just over Charlie's shoulder and beyond the heat mirage that floated in the air above the rocky road.

No words passed between the eight man Marine squad but information was given by them all in glances. Charlie quietly and slowly flipped the safety off his weapon as did all the others. Nasab, with quiet efficiency finished checking the papers and handed them to the teacher with a quiet word to go quickly. The teacher nodded and nervously turned to the boys when he caught sight of the three men. Nasab, now joined by Carlos, nodded toward the desert and slowly slipped his hand to his service pistol while telling the teacher once again to go.

The teacher placed the papers in his pocket and whispered to the boys to begin walking.

"**Allah Akbar**!" the teacher smiled and shouted at Nasab and Carlos as he pulled a small box from his pocket and pressed the single red button on it. The teacher then ran and jumped into the Humvee parked by the side of the road. The Humvee shook as a loud boom rattled the ground they stood on and pounded the eardrums of the squad. The teacher and the two marines inside the Humvee disappeared in the flash of the explosion and the wreck of the vehicle became shrapnel flying everywhere.

The whole incident had taken place in the span of three seconds and left the remaining six men of the squad stunned.

The three men who had been walking toward the checkpoint had hit the ground as soon as the teacher had leapt into the Humvee. One raised his hands and his head and began shouting something at the top of his lungs.

"لمحبة الله ونحن الأطباء في طريقنا إلى قرية صغيرة خارج مدينة." (**For the love of Allah we are doctors on our way to a small village outside of town**.)

As the man spoke a Chevy truck sped from behind a building with four men in the bed of the truck armed with AK-47 assault rifle, and the men cut loose with withering gunfire.

The man yelling he was a doctor was struck several times in the head and back looking for the entire world like he had been electrocuted as the bullets tore him apart.

Nasab picked the small boy who was crying near him up and started to run him over to the defilade of sandbags at the side of the road. He took two steps before the young boy exploded in his arms taking half of the Afgan translator with him as he went up.

As the six Marines took in this new horror, more of the young school boys began to explode around them.

A Ford truck crunched and spewed gravel from under its tires as it appeared out of the shimmering heat mirage on the road from the desert. Three men stood in its bed, and they also began laying down a withering crossfire from AK-47's that they had butted against their shoulders.

Sergeant Raymond, unaware of the unfolding crisis with the children or the desert, had turned to face the Chevy coming from town. With a rote gesture, honed from years of training, he raised his weapon and thumbed the selector switch on his weapon from single fire to full automatic as he shouldered it and began to spray the cab of the truck with fire.

While Raymond was turning and firing at the Chevy, Charlie spun and began to raise his own weapon when yet another of the boys exploded. This time PFC Dan Schneider of Trollville, Kansas was sent flying by the blast leaving his left leg and arm behind.

_They've booby trapped the fucking kids_, Charlie thought as he noticed another boy screaming and crying walking toward Sgt. Raymond. _Jesus H. Christ what is wrong with people_?

The boy was almost in touching distance of Raymond when Charlie shouted. "Sarge loo…!"

With his left hand Raymond reached out to push the boy down to the deck and out of the line of fire when he heard Charlie's shout. He didn't hear the blast or even see it, he just felt it.

He felt like he was flying and someone had knocked the wind out of him. Raymond was sure the phone was ringing but no one would answer.

_Someone answer the goddamn phone_! he thought.

He landed hard on his back and tried to get up but couldn't. He managed to raise his head just enough to see the reason he couldn't get up.

"My fucking legs, **where are my fucking legs?**"

Sergeant Carlos Raymond died before his head touched the road again. His last thought was,_ Ain't this some shit_.

While advancing toward his Sergeant before the explosion, Charlie had thumbed his own weapon to full automatic and started firing at the Ford trunk's windshield and cab. The windshield imploded and the Ford swerved sideways, flipping over. The explosion of the little boy near the Sergeant knocked Charlie onto his back as it sent the Sergeant flying. Charlie raised his head and saw one of the few boys still left screaming and crying as he ran toward him. His heart told him to try and save the boy, but his head and all the intensive training he had been given took over.

With no thought at all, just the raw rote memory, Charlie flipped the selector on his weapon to a three round burst and kicked the child in the chest. The boy was lifted off the ground and went sailing through the air. Without aiming Charlie fired the volley into the boy, killing him just before the child blew up.

Charlie rose to his feet and scanned the Ford truck and saw no movement. "Detter, Baker, you two check that vehicle out. Anything moves, **kill it**."

Both stunned Marines obeyed him and started toward the truck, weapon up and at the ready.

"Jindal?"

The PFC looked up from Sergeant Raymond's inert body shaking his head. "He's gone."

PFC Vince Taggert had been killed by the gunfire from the Ford truck and laid near one of the sandbag defilade, eyes open and staring into the blistering sun, seeing nothing.

"Jindal, get on the horn and let base know what's happened." Charlie had disappeared and Lance Corporal Langford had taken his place. "Wielder, you come with me." Charlie started walking toward the wrecked Chevy, putting his weapon of full automatic.

"All these assholes have had it, Corporal Langford," Pvt. Detter shouted from down the road.

"Put three in each of their heads anyway," Charlie yelled back through clinched teeth, a grim and determined look on his face.

They arrived at the bodies of the three doctors first. Using the end of their weapon barrels, Wielder and Charlie turned over the bodies of the doctors. All three wore the flag pin given by US forces to legitimate doctors in the area. All three had multiple gunshot wounds.

Charlie nodded with his head and he and Wielder moved forward, weapons held ready, to the remains of the Chevy truck.

As they reached the truck, it became apparent that the driver was dead. Most of his head was gone. It was also apparent that the passenger was dead. His neck hung at a very awkward tilt and his eyes were glazed over.

They walked behind the cab of the truck and Wielder poked the first terrorist they came to. The body rolled over and Charlie noticed the grenade in the man's hand and shoved Wielder out of the way as the man tried to pull the pin. Still on automatic, Charlie fired over half a clip into the man literally cutting him in half.

As this happened a second terrorist rolled over and pumped fifteen rounds into Wielder before Charlie spun and looked the man in the face. The man smiled as he brought his weapon up and pulled the trigger.

_**Click**_

_**Click**_

_**Click**_

The simile faded from the man's face as Charlie pulled his trigger. The body of the insurgent did the dance of death as the rounds punched through him.

Between the first sound of crunching gravel under the school boys feet and the tinkle of the last spent cartridge that fell from Charlie's weapon four minutes had passed.

_**Just another fucking day in Afghanistan!**_ Charlie thought as he sat down in the sand and began to weep. As he did so, a small dust devil began to twirl around in front of his boot. The sand, as it always had and always would, slowly covered over the smaller pieces left behind from the fire fight and soon would obliterate all signs that anything had happened at all. As it had for centuries, the sand and heartbreak held sway over the land.

.

.

Tom Trent trudged into the doctor's lounge and plopped down on the sofa. He knew he had about an hour break before he would be needed in the O.R. again, and he needed to shut his eyes for just a few minutes.

The construction site collapse had turned out to be far worse than first thought. Two city buses had been near the site and had been taken out by the debris. In all, Seattle Mercy Hospital had received some sixty-five casualties. Thirty had been minor and had required nothing more than debriding of wounds, stitches, and pain medicine. Twenty had been serious; punctured lungs, broken limbs, fractures, ruptured spleens, severed limbs, and almost any other type of wound that he had ever studied. Fifteen had been critical and took up most of his time. He had dealt with severed arties, crushed chest cavities and skulls. He had also dealt with the shrapnel that had once been part of the building and trucks from the site. It had cut a wide swath through all the casualties and reminded him of news footage from a war zone. Of the fifteen critical patients, two had died within minutes of reaching the hospital. Tom had ended up with a worker who had several pieces of metal near his heart and a nicked carotid artery in the left side of the man's neck. It was very dangerous surgery, but it was what he did best.

Nothing prepared him for what he found inside the man. The spleen was shredded like cheese, and the liver looked like it had been put through a grinder. The thing that made it even worse was the fact that both kidneys were beyond repair. He had felt like the little Dutch boy; he'd plug one hole in the dam and another one would pop up. Six hours, one kidney from a dead victim, a liver from another one, plus some of the most intricate work he had ever done in the O.R., and the man had pulled through. Tom would be spending the next twelve hours watching the man to be sure everything was all right.

"Shit." He sat up quickly and looked at his watch. It was almost six o'clock.

_I've got to call Carly and pray she can watch Max for the night_, he thought. _Damn it_, _he won't sleep in her apartment. She'll have to take him to the apartment and his own room. Shit, I'll have to remove six appendixes to pay for this._

He searched the pockets of his white coat till he found his phone and then dialed.

.

Tom Trent had known since the age of eight what he wanted to be when he grew up. His epiphany came while in front of the TV. Helicopters crossed the screen and soldiers (men and women) came running from everywhere as the title of the show flashed across the screen, M*A*S*H. After one show his future was very clear to him. He wanted to be a doctor, but not just a doctor, no, a surgeon, and not just a surgeon, no, he wanted to be Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce. He wanted to chase pretty nurses, have lots of free time, and be able to snatch life from the jaws of death.

What he discovered was that after four years of college he still had four years of medical school and three years of residency and roughly half the national debt of Guam. Long days of classes and nights spent cramming words containing twenty-eight syllables, twelve vowels, and eighty-three consonants that boiled down to one thing, a hang nail, and the mind numbing knowledge that as a doctor he would be a student for life. There never was time to chase women; any free time was spent studying or sleeping. Medicine wasn't a constant field; it moved and rolled like a river, a small eddy here, an undercurrent there, and the fluidity of knowledge could literality change in a heartbeat.

He met his wife Gale his first year of residency and they clicked. She was a surgeon also, and if he was honest, a better one than him. He didn't mind that she was, in fact, he was very proud of his wife, but it just served as another reminder that the reality didn't live up to the fantasy. He loved his job, you couldn't endure the rigorous training that it took to become a doctor if you didn't love it, but he never did invent a new kind of clamp or procedure that saved lives, and he discovered that no matter how hard he tried and fought it, death didn't always give up for him. Each patient that died was another little chip out of the base of his noble dream, and there had been so damn many chips he wondered if the dream would remain intact.

The three years of residency he had been little more than paid slavery in his eyes. Days, weeks, months, and years slipped by with little warning, and he never even noticed. After twelve years of marriage and every fertility drug known to man, he and Gale had Max. True joy followed Max and Tom and Gale fell into a kind of second newlywed phase and life was good.

Tom's father died three days after Max turned two, and that was the moment Tom's ordered world began to slip away from him. He took stock of his life and noticed that for the first time he had far more days behind him than he had in front of him. He felt like a sailor adrift on the ocean. He had started out strong and confident on the journey giving little or no thought about the horizon because it was so far away.

Tom had looked up over the last year and found that the horizon was much closer than it had ever been, and his starting point was far out of sight. That was when he started to get scared. That was when he started to notice that not only was his hair receding and thinning out, but it showed flecks of gray. When he was near the nurse's stations, he no longer caught them looking at him or whispering about him in hushed tones. The fact of the matter was no one looked at him anymore. He had a small but growing paunch despite three times a week workouts. He now had to wear glasses in the OR and where he had been able to take stairs two at a time and for several floors, now maybe he could do one floor if he had five minutes to recover.

He had begun to feel angry and resentful of Gale and Max even though he loved them. He found himself going to chat rooms on the web; it was harmless, just another unconnected person who was as lonely as he was. The loneliness scared him the most because it was constant; even when he was with Gale, he felt alone.

He had to take psychology in med school, all med students have to, and he knew what was happening to him, and despite knowing, he couldn't change it or stop it. He was relieved when the anger had finally begun to abate, till he discovered that they had been replaced by something far worse.

For lack of a better phrase, he called it the _wanderlust effect_. It had started when he had to go to a conference is San Diego two months before he, Gail, and Max moved to Seattle.

He gave a lecture on the treatment of and how to avoid blood clots. He could have given it in his sleep and damn near did, losing his place for a second or two. Thankfully, no one had noticed and he got through the rest of the lecture without incident. The after questions were mercifully short, and he was able to get off stage and spend time greeting old friends.

It happened in the classic cliché; he was already too deep in by the time he figured out what was happening. He had turned it over in his mind a thousand times, dissecting each move and could find no clear answer as to when he really crossed the line.

Dr. Selma Web, resident at Sharp Memorial Hospital, approached him at the happy hour in the hotel lounge. She began to talk about his lecture and asking very good, insightful questions. She listened to his answers and before long he was sharing his fifteen years accumulated wisdom with her. It was fun and very easy to talk with her, his stories were new in her eyes and he didn't feel as old or alone as he had been the past few years. He felt alive.

Drinks led to dinner and Tom noticed how the dark haired oval faced young woman seemed to hang on his every word. Somewhere between the appetizer and the dessert, the die was cast, and with no conscious thought about what it meant or what it could do to him or his family, Dr. Tom Trent committed adultery.

It wasn't about the sex, though it was a part of it; it was about feeling important and being desired again. It was about seeing in her, she was twenty-four years old, all the things he had given up when he was her age. He supposed that it was the feeling like a young man with so much ahead of him that she had given him that night. She had wanted him and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt that from anyone.

He spent the flight back home worried about what he had done and all the things that he had shoved aside the night he spent with Selma. He began to woo his wife again, flowers, candy, dinners and walks, all the things that slowly fade away as the years go by and the marriage ages. He was a new man, husband, and father and the feelings of being scared and alone faded.

Three weeks later the feelings came back in mass, and he began to feel the spiral downward again. He managed to keep it hidden from everyone, but be couldn't hide it from himself. He found himself going to clubs and even meeting people off the internet. The second time he committed adultery wasn't an accident; he did it on purpose and planed it out carefully. Her name was Brandie; they didn't bother with last names; and she was a forty-one year old housewife and mother of two. Her husband was still rising on the corporate ladder and left her alone with the kids for large chunks of time. She had been OK with that, accepting it as a part of life, till her boys hit their teen years and spent almost as much time away from home as their father did. It was then that she noticed just how big her four bedroom, three bathroom house really was.

All her married life she had taken care of others, and suddenly, there was no one to care for, and it left a gaping hole in her life. She cleaned the house, she read, she worked the garden, she began to workout at the YMCA twice a week, and she began to chat with people in chat rooms on the internet.

Tom and Brandie agreed to meet for lunch after two weeks of chatting online. She had been to the salon the day before and had her gray streaked chestnut hair touched up and wore a dress she hadn't had out of her closet in years. Her impressive but slightly sagging breasts were encased in a very frilly bra that lifted them in a very seductive manner and offered a sizeable amount of cleavage for display. They both had said it was just a lunch, a friendly lunch between two people who had chatted on the internet and that was all, nothing more.

Tom took a Viagra before he left his office and brought condoms with him. Brandie brought a change of clothes and things to shower with. They ate lunch and talked about life, family, fears, longings, and then left for a hotel room Tom had already booked and spent the next three hours fucking. Tom couldn't call it anything else because there was no love involved for either of them; it wasn't even sex in the rawest sense of the word. They both tried to fuck the depression out of themselves, and when it was over, at least for a few minutes, it worked.

He deleted all his contacts from and to Brandie and prepared for the "dating phase" to begin again with Gale. It didn't come this time; in fact it seemed to drive him further away from her this time. It was a chasm that he couldn't seem to breach anymore, and it left him feeling worse than he ever had in his life.

The job offer from Seattle Mercy Hospital came two weeks after his meeting with Brandie, and he and Gale had leapt at the chance. Tom had thought the change of scenery would change the hollow feeling that had crept into him after Brandie. It didn't.

Two weeks after moving into Bushwell apartments and one week after they started work at the hospital, Tom had a weekend fling with Nurse Lee Surpass. Gale had pulled a weekend shift, and Max had gone to Gale's mother's house for the weekend, leaving him alone in the apartment.

The guilt and shame he had felt before when he had cheated seemed to dwindle with each affair, and it shocked him badly. He knew he should feel like shit for fucking a woman in his and Gale's bed, but it just never came. He just felt hollow inside and nothing would fill him up.

He tried stopping, he really did, but after two months, almost like clockwork, the fear and desperation returned and despite himself he cheated again. This time it was with a woman living in the same building, Teri Chambers. She lived two floors below his apartment and had two children. Her daughter was in college, but her creepy son, Chuck, was still living at home.

The affair with Teri was different than the others he'd had before. He and Teri had continued seeing each other for almost two months before they broke it off. He had now become almost numb to feelings of guilt and to the ever widening distance between himself and Gale. He was able to hide it; he hoped he was anyway, from Gale, but he didn't know how much longer that would last.

Carly Shay had been hired by his wife a few times to babysit Max when the couple went out, and the boy had really liked her. He knew the girl had a web show of some minor fame and hung out with some boy who lived in the building as well as a blond girl that seemed to be in the building all the time, but knew little else about her.

Over the last few weeks, he had caught her staring at him on several occasions and he had stared back. It didn't matter to him that there was a twenty-seven year difference between them; he found Carly and her friend, Sam he believed her name was, very attractive. He could see the danger in what he was thinking and knew that he needed to get his life back on track before it got away from him. He also knew, with some regret, that he wasn't going to and things were going to get very bad very soon.

.

Carly picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Carly, this is Tom Trent," he said as he sat down. "I'm so sorry about all this but the hospital is just flooded with patients, and it looks like I'm gonna be here till five or six in the morning. I hate to ask this but Max doesn't sleep well at night unless he's home. I'll double what we pay you, but could you take him to our apartment and stay with him there till I get home? There's a key in the plant beside the door. We have an account at the Pizza Shack, and you can order the two of you a pizza, pepperoni is his favorite, and get one anyway you want for yourself. He goes to bed at eight-thirty and after that feel free to order a pay-per-view if you want or help yourself to any of our movies."

"It won't be a problem Dr. Trent," Carly's voice sounded full and rich through his phone. "Should I take him down now or later?"

Tom looked at his watch. "Would you mind taking him down now? It would let him kind of settle in, and he might even go to sleep earlier."

"I don't mind one bit."

"Bless you Carly, you are an angel. Has he been good for you today?"

"He's been just great. He really is a very sweet boy."

Tom smiled at that and asked her to hand the phone to Max.

"Hello, Daddy, are the sick people butter?"

"Better, honey, it's are they better and not all of them. I'm sorry, Maxman but some of the sick people still need me to help them, so I'm going to have to stay till really early morning. Ms. Carly is going to take you down to our apartment so you can sleep tonight and stay with you till I get there, OK?"

"OK Daddy." Tom was always amazed at how chipper and upbeat Max was, because he and Gale sure weren't. "Daddy, can we get pasghetti from Petsa Shack?"

Trent laughed. "Spaghetti baby, it's spaghetti and yes you can. It's called Pizza Shack not Petsa Shack. I'm sorry I have to work tonight, Max, but Carly will take good care of you. You be good for her and for me, okay? Now hand the phone back to Carly please, I love you, Maxman."

"I wove you, Daddy." Tom could hear Max tell Carly that his dad wanted to talk to her.

"Yes sir?" Carly asked.

"Well he wants the spaghetti and meatballs from Pizza Shack. Just order him the adult order, he hates the kid meal, and I'll eat the rest that he doesn't eat when I get home. Order whatever you like, and again, thank you so much for this."

"I'm happy to help, Dr. Trent."

After saying goodbye, Tom put his phone back in his white coat pocket and sat there for a moment, thinking.

_The girl really does have a sexy voice._

He grabbed a pillow and laid it on the armrest of the couch he was sitting on and closed his eyes. The memory of having to tell Mr. Alves' wife that he had died this morning looped over and over again in his mind with no mercy.

_Did I miss a bleeder somewhere_? He thought. _If I had over sewn the artery one more time would it have held? How could I have missed the embolism? Did I really do everything I could have to save him?_

He brought his right hand up to his face. He rubbed his temple as the dull thud of a headache began just behind his eyes, radiating up the forehead and down to the base of his neck. He took his thumb and index finger and pinched the corners of his eyes and nose. The smell of antibacterial soap and rubber gloves filled his nostrils. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They were pasty white from the use of the gloves. They were almost albino white and it made him chuckle. He figured he must have worn over one or two million gloves since he became a doctor. Some he had worn for hours when working on a delicate case and some for a minute or less as he hopped from room to room listening to complaints of fevers, aches, pains, diarrhea, gonorrhea, broken limbs, and every other form of malady that could affect the human body. He would go through two boxes sometimes when he worked the ER on a Friday night. He chuckled as he thought of Friday nights in the ER.

All the freaks, dope fiends, hypochondriacs, and the lonely came on that night. The freaks came because they would invariably do something beyond stupid and end up with very entertaining wounds and or other bizarre problems. The dope fiends came because they would be broke and couldn't buy the drugs they wanted or just couldn't get ahold of their dealers. They suffered from what he liked to call the _ten out of ten scale pain_. It was a vicious floating pain that went where ever it was likely to get the patient a shot of some kind of pain drug. He could set his watch by the way they always came in. The staff would already have the files of the junkies pulled and waiting. They would be looked at, but they would be made to wait much longer than most people. This was and is the policy of every ER in the country; you would never hear or see anything about it as it was just an unspoken rule.

Hypochondriacs were the entertainment for the ER staff. Hypochondriacs, Tom always chuckled at his own joke, dead serious about their aches and pains. He believed that the sharp rise in the number of hypochondriacs over the past few years was due to the internet. More people had access to more knowledge about diseases than ever before.

Hypochondriacs showed up with a catalog of symptoms and what they believed was a firm grip on what needed to be done. It was like going to med school all over again. No amount of logic would persuade them that nothing was wrong with them and nothing short of superhuman patience and a well thought out placebo would satisfy them.

The lonely were another kettle of fish altogether. Most were over the age of sixty and tended to be women. They never showed up empty handed, baked treats that were always welcome, and they never demanded to be seen quickly or even asked for medicine. They came because their spouse had died or they never had one. They came because their kids had lives of their own and couldn't or wouldn't spend time with them anymore. They came to see and be seen. They just wanted someone to acknowledge they were alive and mattered.

Six weeks into his first residency Tom met Ida Short, a small woman in her mid to late seventies, and his outlook on patients and how they were treated changed forever. Ida became the mother that he had lost in grade school and he guessed he became the son that had left her behind in his attempt to make it to the big time.

Ida was four foot-three inches tall and was perhaps one hundred and ten pounds if she was wet. Her white hair was almost blue, and she had the wrinkles around her lips of a long time smoker. Her green eyes sparkled with an intensity that beckoned you into her orbit of life, and she never traveled anywhere without homemade goodies in her bag.

She had marched into the ER like she owned it. "Evening, babies." Her rich almost baritone voice had filled the room. "How's all my young'uns doing this evening?"

"Doing fine, Momma Short." The receptionist had smiled at her. "Momma Short, what 'ca got in that covered dish tonight?"

"Well, sugar, I have … oh my, we have a new doctor on call tonight I see."

"Momma Short." The receptionist had taken Tom's hand and placed it in the old woman's hand, "meet Dr. Tom Trent."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." Tom had shaken her hand and was surprised when she pulled him into a hug that almost took the air from his lungs.

"Well, sugar, it's nice to meet you." The old woman's smile was an awe inspiring sight. "You just speak right up and call me Momma Short and I'm gonna call you Tommy. Now, baby, you just tell me all about yourself. Where did you go to school at?"

Despite the fact he didn't know her from Adam, Tom told her about going to Vanderbilt Medical School and details of his life he would never share with most people. Ida made people want to talk to her and tell her things.

"So what's wrong with you, Miss…Mamma Short?"

"Oh, Sugar." She had grinned at him, "I'm not here because I'm sick. I'm here because everyone needs someone to talk to and tell their troubles to. You know how some folks go to the Night Court on Friday nights and sit and watch the cases as they come in? Well I come here for the same reason. Them souls that are in the Court ain't ready to be helped or talked to, but the souls here sure are."

"You are one of a kind, Mamma Short."

"Sugar, you just wait." Her laugh was like the trickle of a brook, delightful and soothing to the ears.

That first night she brought brownies and some mix of fruit juices that reminded him of summers spent drinking Icee's at the SDI store a block from his house. It took Ida two minutes to worm her way into his heart.

Ida was the highpoint of long and miserable Friday nights. Twice a week, and always when Tom was on the night shift, she would bring enough to feed everyone in the ER. She didn't bring fast food or anything like that.

"Sugar, that stuff they claim is food I wouldn't serve to a goat. No sir and I ain't letting my babies here eat that mess all the time." She always seemed younger when she was bringing these feasts for the group.

She was there the first time he had ever had to tell someone their loved one had died. He had had classes on how and what to say. Empathize with their feelings, but never become emotionally involved with the patients. That was the golden rule right after **first do no harm**.

Ida had come up to him after the family had left, sat down beside him and patted his knee.

"Recon that has got to be the worst part of your job ain't it, baby?"

"I know what to say, I know what went wrong, but for the life of me, I don't know how to tell 'em, Mamma." He had looked at his feet as he spoke, like he thought the answer would appear there.

"Baby, you did fine, just remember that while you know the how and the whys of it all they don't. Don't lose the answers in the facts. Talk to them in a way that they can understand it. Seven dollar words don't mean much when you lose someone. If they ask for more then tell 'em, but sometimes the simple answer is enough."

Tom took the words to heart and was amazed at how a lonely old woman had made him a better doctor with one quiet little talk. He loved the nights working in the ER just because Ida was there.

A year and a half after that meeting she failed to show up on Friday night. After several calls and a police car going by to check, they found Ida outside in her backyard. She had fallen and broken her hip. They rushed her to the ER and it was like the President of the United States had been wheeled in. She was given an IV and sent to X-ray. The break was really more of a hairline fracture and not that bad. It was the shadowy mass where the kidneys were that shook Tom to his core. He stared at the X-ray and that spot for thirty minutes. He stared at it as if he could make it go away by pure willpower. For the first time in his life, he cried for a patient and for himself. He cursed the day he decided to become a doctor and cursed himself for not being able to cure Ida.

"Hey, sugar." She had smiled at him a little loopy from the pain shot. "Don't lose the answers in the facts, Tommy."

He sat on the edge of the bed, took her hand and kissed it. "Six maybe seven months at most, Mamma Short." The rest was lost in tears as he kissed her forehead and laid his head on her chest.

"Shhh … baby, it's all right." she had rubbed his back in slow circles as she talked. "I ain't seen my Henry in almost twenty years; I guess it's time I got going. He always did go on about how damned slow I could be sometimes."

Ida passed on six months later. Tom did his best to try and notify her son, but the man didn't want to know or didn't care about his mother. Most of staff that could came for the funeral did as did a large number of freaks, hypochondriacs, and other people society ignored also showed up. Ida would have been pleased.

.

_Damn Ida I miss you, _he thought as he laid his hands on his chest and turned over onto his left side facing the back of the couch. _You would have ripped me a new one in that quiet head shaking way you had that made people feel like shit for letting you down. I can hear you now, __**"You eat the entire box of saltpeter Tommy if that's what it takes to keep that fly of yours zipped! Don't make Mamma Short have to take your sorry butt to the woodshed, cause I'll light your behind up with your own belt boy!"**_

_How in the hell did I let my life get so fucking screwed up? Why can't I get the train back on the rail? I'm gonna lose everything I have ever worked for if I don't stop this shit. Please God, please help me before I lose it all._

He closed his eyes as a few stray tears rolled down one cheek. He knew, just like a junkie knew, that when faced with the temptation to cheat he would. His mind finally began to unwind and slowly he drifted off to sleep, where he dreamed of making love to Carly.

.

.

Carly had just disconnected from Dr. Trent's call when her phone played a Cuddlefish tune that she had set as Sam's ringer.

"Where do I bring the bail money?" Carly laughed.

"Damn Carls, that was cold blooded," Sam laughed back.

"What's cooking chick?"

"Well it seems that Freddie's date with Tara has ballooned into this massive gang date," Sam chuckled. "Seems Tara told her two friends from the party about her and Freddie's date and they just invited themselves along for the night. Tara ran into Will today at the fair and now in order to have at least some coolness for the evening Will and I have been invited to go along and we wondered if maybe you and Dale wanted to join us?"

"Shoot, I'd love to, but Dr. Trent just called and he's going to be working all night and asked me to take Max down to their apartment because he won't sleep over at other houses. I was just about to gather up his stuff and we were going to head down there. He's having me use their tab at Pizza Shack to order dinner for us."

"Well shit," Sam laughed. "Screw the date, I'm coming over there and put a real dent in that tab of his."

After Carly stopped laughing, she spoke as she began to gather up Max's things and sent him to get his cars out of Spencer's room. "Where are you guys going?"

"We have no idea," Sam laughed. "This is going to be a very interesting evening I believe."

Carly caught a little something in Sam's voice that she didn't hear from her meat loving best friend very much. Contentment and she thought she knew exactly why.

"So how did the Benson family outing go today?" Carly asked as she picked up Max's blue bear.

"Carly, I swear if you don't stop this I'll crawl through this phone and choke you with your own hair. Do I make myself clear?"

With as much control as she could muster, Carly said, "All right, all right I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to upset you Mrs. Benson."

"Be very glad I'm on my way home and that little boy is there because otherwise I'd have to buttersock you into a coma."

"OK Sam, I get it." Carly chuckled again. "What are you and the hubby gonna do with the baby?"

"I'm turning around," Sam shouted, hurting Carly's ear. "Say your prayers Shay. There is not now nor will there ever be anything going on between me and Will, I like Freddie… damn it Shay now you got me so mad I can't talk, there is nothing between me and Freddie ok? I like Will!"

_You just keep telling yourself that Sam_, Carly thought. _But it doesn't change the fact that you have Freddie fever and it's not going away._

"OK, OK, I'll drop it," Carly decided she had poked the bear as much as she dared for the time being. "When does the epic gang date start?"

"Freddie and I are going to meet Tara and Will at Tara's house at six-thirty."

Carly shook her head, "Wait a minute here. Why are you and Freddie meeting Tara and Will at her house?"

"Well it turns out Will lives close to Tara so it just made sense for me and Freddie to meet them there." As she spoke the words Sam realized how strange the whole thing sounded and how complicated things were getting. "Well listen Carls, you have a blast playing mom tonight and I'll let you know how it went when we get back."

"I'll be staying the night down there Sam," Carly informed her.

"Oh well I'm still staying at your place tonight, so I'll see you when you get home. Later chick."

"Have a great time Mrs. Benson," Carly laughed and hit end just as the cuss words began to flow.

_Sounds like this outing is going to be a very strange night_, Carly smiled to herself. _I have a feeling that musical dates are going to be played before the summer is over._

.

.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good. I wouldn't miss the chats for anything.

Writtenbyabdex: Thanks for the shoulder to cry on and the whoopee cushion to make me laugh.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

Princess-Warrior 17

eleanorr1gby

As always review and let me know what you think.


	14. Sunday Night In Seattle Part 1

Sunday Night In Seattle

A/N: This chapter should be a little more lighthearted than the last. The use of Harrison as Brad's last name is used and approved by the gracious, beautiful, and ridiculously talented eleanorr1gby. This author is deeply in debt to her and her friendship. If you don't know who she is, you've been off planet for the last few years. She is the author of **The Ballad Of Sam And Freddie I, II, and soon III.** We will all be buying her novels someday.

"Story Painter": You of the red ink who makes me look like I know what I'm doing (It ain't easy). I thank you for your hard work and friendship. Long May Your Red Ink Flow.

Let's see what's going on in Seattle.

.

.

As Freddie got off the elevator on the eighth floor he sat Mutt down. Mutt looked up at him and Freddie had this feeling that the dog was smiling at him.

"Why do I feel like behind this sweet exterior lays the Artful Dodger of the canine world?" He grinned when Mutt started the rapid fire tail wagging.

When Freddie opened the door to the apartment, Mutt pranced in like a king walking through a sea of his subjects. After Freddie removed the leash, Mutt bounded over to Freddie's mom at the computer and barked at her as he stood on his hind legs.

"Well someone sure wants some attention." Marissa laughed as she picked up the puppy and petted his back as he gave her hundreds of dog kisses.

"I think so." Freddie shook his head. "Mom, I hate to ask, but I have that date tonight and Sam has one also, so could you watch Mutt tonight?"

"Well of course I will." She stood up from the computer and went to the couch where she sat Mutt and produced a bird looking chew toy. She laid it in front of Mutt.

Mutt was not quite sure what to make of this new thing. He lay on his belly and stared at it, inching forward slowly toward the creature. He began to sniff the air and finally stood up and pawed at the thing.

His touch caused the squeaker to make a noise, and Mutt backed away from the toy as he barked at it. He repeated this several times before he caught on; he finally took it firmly in his mouth and shook it from side to side displaying his power over the toy. He rolled over on his back, the toy now resting on his chest, and continued to play with it.

"You doing your Sunday thing first?" Marissa asked. She didn't know for sure what he did Sunday mornings or evenings, but she had a pretty good idea.

"Yes ma'am." If nothing else Freddie was a polite young… no make that just a polite man. "After that I'm picking up Sam and we're meeting Will and Tara at Tara's house."

"Let me get this straight." Marissa couldn't get the mirth out of her voice. "You're picking up Sam to take her on a date with a boy who is going to be at the house of the girl you're going out with?"

"That's it," he said, as if it was as simple as pie.

"Okay," Marissa said, wondering if Freddie caught the strangeness of what he had just said.

He gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and turned to walk to his room. He shut his door behind him and stripped so he could take a shower.

"Well, Mutt, I guess it's just you and I tonight," Marissa sighed as she spoke to the puppy.

Mutt rolled over on his paws and stood looking at the older woman. He sniffed the air, picked up on her sadness and bounded over to her. He slipped his head under her right hand, forcing her to pat his head. She looked down at him and he knew the smile that crossed her face was because of him. He smiled back at her. This was his job; to protect his humans and to love them and no one was going to say that he didn't do his job.

"So tell me, young man." Marissa picked mutt up and held him to her face. "What is going on in my son's life? I used to know almost down to the smallest detail, and now I don't even know what he does on Sunday. You, my mass of wiggling fur, seem to know more about my boy than I do."

Mutt wasn't sure what the woman was saying, but he knew this would be a good time to give her a kiss, so he licked her nose. When the woman giggled at him, he knew once again he had done the right thing.

"Maybe you can explain why my son is picking up Sam to take her to the girl's house he has a date with tonight so she can meet her date, who is already at Freddie's date's house?" Marissa almost became tongue-tied as she asked Mutt the question. "I haven't met his date before, but I do know that he and Samantha have a bond that I don't understand nor do they. Maybe they don't see it, but I sure do. Mutt, those two, God help me they are going to end up together, and my grandkids are going to be angelic little devils. The universe may not survive."

Marissa settled back into the couch as she petted the dog's back. She had a quick image of Freddie at six, running into her room and pulling her into the living room to see the cable box he had built from scratch. It was the size of a shoebox and had crude block printed letters and numbers. It only had three words that were spelled right, but she could tell what it was supposed to say.

He had set her down on the couch and handed her the _remote_. It was a plastic shell from what looked like a phone. It had six buttons (_all miss spelled_) and was held together by electrical tape.

"Go ahead, Mom, and turn it on." He had smiled, missing an upper and one lower tooth, with pride.

To her shock and amazement, the box powered on and the TV had a Dingo channel movie on. She scanned around to some other channels and turned around to look at Freddie. The look of pride and utter glee on his face melted her heart and in that moment she saw Freddie's father in him and began to cry.

"Mom?" Freddie had begun to cry also. "I thought you'd like it. I'm sorry."

Marissa grabbed Freddie in a huge bear hug. "Oh, sweetie, I love it. I can't believe you did this all by yourself. These are happy tears, honey. You just reminded me of your daddy."

"I don't get it, Mom." She had thought he looked like he was working a hard jigsaw puzzle as he asked her his question. "You're happy so you cry, you get hurt so you cry, you're sad so you cry, and you get mad so you cry? Do you cry about crying?"

Marissa was unprepared for the last question Freddie had asked and began to laugh so hard that tears streamed out of her eyes, making her laugh even harder.

"See, Mom, you laugh so you cry?" Freddie had looked so confused at her.

She grabbed him into another bear hug and tickled his ribs. As he began to squirm, giggle, and then laugh, Marissa was amazed at how beautiful her son's laugh was and just how priceless this one moment really was.

"Women cry, Freddiebear." She quit tickling him and just held him in the hug. "I'll explain it all to you one day."

She kissed his cheek and let him go. He settled in beside her on the couch shaking his head. "You always say that but you never do."

"Well, Freddiebear, what are we watching tonight?"

"Well Dingo has this great movie about this guy who gets zapped into a computer called _Tron_, and I'd like you to watch it with me, okay?"

"I would be honored to watch with you, sir." She smiled and sat back on the couch.

Freddie had snuggled in close to her side and they watched the movie together. It was one of many memories she kept locked away for those rainy days when she was blue. It never failed to make her smile and feel warm inside.

"So, wiggleworm, what are we going to do tonight?" She held Mutt up and rubbed her nose against his. She grinned as the puppy licked the end of her nose. "I know, why don't we go and get you a few toys and maybe a flea and tick shampoo? You feel like walking through _Pets R Us_ with Grandma?"

.

.

Mutt couldn't stop wagging his tail as the older woman talked to him. He didn't understand her words but the tone of her voice was soothing. His humans were proving to be very good masters. He couldn't help but think he had chosen them well.

.

.

Brad Harrison stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and cleaned the condensation from the steam off the mirror over the sink. His blond hair was still wet and water ran into his eyes. He grabbed another towel and began to vigorously dry his hair.

Standing just over six feet tall and weighting one-hundred and sixty-three pounds, he looked like a toothpick with hair and acne. He wore his hair a little long to cover his ears, which he thought looked big. His blue eyes were set back in his head giving him the look of a caveman when he turned his head a certain way.

With his blond hair the mustache he was trying to grow was almost invisible or gave him the look of a milk mustache. He had a line of freckles that ran from under his eyes and across his nose that gave him an Opie Taylor look that he hated and caused him to receive more that his fair share of teasing. In fact he looked much younger than he was. While he was nineteen years old and Freddie was eighteen, Freddie looked older.

He wiped the condensation off the mirror again before it dawned on him to crack the bathroom door to let the steam out.

_Well there, Brad, my boy, don't we look loaded for bear_, he thought and he turned his head left and right to make sure he didn't have any zits or other unsightly messes on his face. _Poor old Sally won't know what hit her._

He brushed his teeth and then began to dress. Fruit of the Looms underwear first followed by tube socks and a crisp new pair of jeans. During this whole process he began to sing _You Belong With Me_ in a very falsetto voice while dancing around the sink. Speed stick deodorant was applied as were two huge handfuls of discount cologne to his chest. Two more handfuls of the cologne went on his face and hair, with some behind each ear. He pulled on the Polo shirt he intended to wear and began to comb his hair, still singing.

"Christ did a cow shit in here?" Brad's fifteen year old sister laughed as she stood at the door of the bathroom. "Sounds like someone stepped on your balls, bro."

Brad jerked around and shot daggers from his eyes at her. "You little butt pimple." His face was bright red. "I'm gonna tell everyone about how you wet the bed till you were eleven."

"Go for it, Miss Swift." Ginna, a tomboy through and through, giggled and gave him a Bronx cheer as she took off running.

Brad was right behind her and had every intention of doing something nasty to her. He loved her, but as only siblings could do, he intended to give her no quarter in the revenge department. He quickly realized he had been hasty as he rounded the corner of the hall and found his sister and her best friend Robin facing him with Super Soakers in hand.

"Ginna, I swear to God you squirt me with that," he pointed to the water gun, "I flush every bit of make-up you have down the shitter and tell Gibby you have a crush on him, capiche?"

"I don't like that shirtless nut."

"You will if you squirt me, yeast infection breath."

"Why, darling brother, whom I love with all my heart, I would never do that to you." The demonic smile on her face sent a chill down his back, and he began to slowly walk backwards down the hall. "Sadie, on the other hand, doesn't love you and knows you can't do anything to her."

Without a word Sadie worked the trigger of the water gun and sprayed Brad with some noxious brown liquid that reminded him of cleaning fish with his dad. He began to gag on the smell.

"Stay out of my room and keep your paws off my diary, **BRO**."

"You little turdknocker." Brad ran into his sister's room and jumped on her bed. He rolled around on it leaving brown stains all over the comforter.

"**Shithead**," Ginna shouted as she saw him get up from the bed and stand at the door of her open closet. "Brad, you do it and we go to war, do you fucking hear me?"

"Bring it, buttplug," Brad dove into his sister's walk-in closet and spun in circles, making sure he wiped some of the brown liquid on all of her clothes.

"**Mom, Dad,** Brad wiped smelly crap all over my bed and clothes," Ginna whined as loud as she could.

"That's nice, hon," her dad said over the roar of the baseball game on the TV and the clink of opening another beer. "Mom went to the store. Glad to hear you two getting along. Swing at the damn ball, or just stand there and take the strike, you moron. I love… don't stand there, dumbass **RUN!**"

"We're even, little sister, you hear me?"

"We're just getting started, dickcheese."

Ginna whirled around, grabbing Sadie's hand, and marched into her room. She slammed the door hard for the extra show of how pissed off she was.

Brad bitched and moaned as he showered, again, and dressed, again, before sprinting down the steps to the first floor. He patted himself down to make sure he had everything he needed.

_Let's see here. I got condoms, I got breath mints, I got eighty bucks, Gibby's ridiculous Spanish Fly liquid that he claims would make a girl horny, a small bottle of Brute by Faberge so I can smell sexy for the ladies, and last but not least my lucky Speedo underwear and one pair of rolled up socks. That's it, now just got to get the car._

Brad walked into the living room and stood beside his dad for a few seconds while some dude splintered a bat as he drove a line drive into the stands. His father stood, spilling beer everywhere, and screamed at the set.

"Moss, you stupid bastard; Clay loves those sliders of yours! What the hell were you thinking? Shit, you could have hit 'em with the fucking ball and done less damage to the team! Come on, Hall; pull that sorry ass out before he throws the whole game!"

"Ah, Dad?" Brad hated asking his Dad about anything when the old man was in _yell at the TV_ mode. "I was wanting to get the car keys for my date tonight?"

"Ah… slide, slide you worthless piece a shit… or just walk and get out!"

"Dad, the car?"

"What?"

"Can I have the keys to the car for my date tonight?"

"Your mom's got my car. Sorry, champ."

"What?" Brad's voice raised an octave as he spoke. "Why isn't she in the Mini-Van?"

"It needs a new carburetor, so she took my car to the store. She'll be back in a few hours."

"But my date is in like thirty minutes." Brad tried to sound like he wasn't whining. He failed miserably at it. "What am I gonna do now?"

After three long swallows of beer and a burp that smelled like a cross between beer and pork rings, Mr. Harrison shrugged his shoulders, "Why not take your bike?"

"Seriously, Dad?" Brad just shook his head. "I can't take a date out on a ten-speed! Do you have any idea how lame that would be?"

His Father chuckled. "You're right, son, that would be lame. Oh hey, take that tandem bike Mom and I bought at the yard sale."

_Tandem bike? Is he shitting me? The only way I'll get laid on a tandem bike is if I take the seat off. Fuck me running._ "I can't pick up a chick on a bike, Dad." Brad couldn't believe his father wasn't paying attention anymore and was watching the game. "Thanks, Dad!" The sarcasm was lost on the older Harrison, and Brad stomped away like a four year old who had been denied a cookie.

"Ha, ha, dickcheese." Brad's sister laughed at him from the stair landing.

Brad shot her a _bird_ as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

_Time for plan B._

"Hello?"

"Freddie, dude I need a favor." Brad wasn't waiting for formalities like he would most times. "I crapped out on getting the old man's car. Can you drive and pick me and Sally up after you get Tara?"

"No can do, amigo," Freddie said. "I've got an errand to run and then pick Sam up at her place so we can meet Tara and Will at Tara's house."

Normally, Brad would have asked for a few more details about the whole _who's picking up who and where, _but right then he had bigger fish to fry. "Damn, that means I have to ride with Gibby! Better call his ass and see if it's cool with him. Oh hey, where are we going on this date anyway?"

"No idea," Freddie laughed. "Guess we're playing that one by ear."

"Well, later, dude." Brad hung up and called Gibby.

"** y**," Gilbert Gibson crooned into Brad's ear through the phone.

"Dude, I crapped out on the car tonight, can Sally and I double with you and Linda?" Brad asked.

"I'll be by in fifteen minutes with the **Gibbymobile**," Gibby said and ended the call.

_Why do I feel like this is going to be a very strange evening_? Brad wondered as he sat on the steps of his porch waiting for Gibby.

.

.

"Spencer," Sam said as soon as he answered his phone.

"What's up, Sam?"

"Is Carly gone yet?"

"Not yet. She's upstairs packing Max's other toys. Why?"

"I really need to borrow your motorcycle, dude."

"Why?" Spencer had a feeling he knew why; he just wanted to see if she'd admit it to him.

"I need to do something and I'd just as soon Carly didn't know." Sam slipped into her begging mode; it never failed to work on Spencer. "I'll be real careful with it and get it back to you tonight."

"Sure thing, kido," he chuckled. "Take the elevator up to the living room and I'll get the keys."

"Cool, Spence, I owe you one," he could hear the smile through the phone.

A few minutes later the elevator in the apartment opened and Spencer tossed her his key. 'She's gassed up for ya. Please, please be careful with it, okay?"

"I'll treat it like it was my own." Sam winked and hit the door close button and smiled as the two doors shut with a slight clang.

.

.

Sam found a place in the garage where she could see without being seen and waited for Freddie to come down. She felt a little like Carly at the moment. Freddie was keeping a secret from them, and Sam really needed to know what it was and why. She was having a hard time dealing with this new complication in her life. Only a few days ago her life made sense and was easy to understand. Pork products were manna from God, nerds were to be teased and tortured, Carly's house was a second home, and Freddie was just a lame nub who had worked his way up from loser to semi-close friend.

Friday had changed all of that. Will had showed up out of nowhere and asked her to dance after she had bumped into him. He was hot and had thought she was pretty. Guys usually steered clear of her in the interest of keeping their balls intact. Will was funny, charming, and was a great kisser. She should be in heaven, but life, if not God himself, hated her. She had always been tough enough to handle anything or anyone.

Last night changed all of that and it was all Freddie's fault. Before her date with Will even started, Freddie flipped the script on her. Their little meeting before her date had left her in a Freddie fog that still hadn't lifted off her brain. The walk after her date with Will had just happened. There was no plan, it just happened, and it was one of the top ten best things that had ever happened to her. They had talked and laughed all night. He had listened to her and in a strange way touched her soul. He had made her feel safe enough to share the story of her father. After she had told the story and had quit crying, she had looked in his eyes and had seen a gentle and yet strong man where a boy had been. She could also see a vague glimpse of a warm and happy home where she could feel safe and loved; and it scared the shit out of her. There had been a moment in the park where she could have and desperately wanted to profess her feelings for him, but she had chickened out.

_No way in hell, Puckett is Freddie feeling for you like you are for him_, she thought as she caught sight of Freddie walking to his car. He was dressed in black dress pants and a black Polo shirt that stretched across his chest, showing off how cut and tight his chest was and how broad his shoulders had become. He walked on the balls of his feet she noticed. The toes making contact with the ground before his heal. It gave his walk a powerful and sensual gait that made the muscles of his back, legs, and ass look fantastic.

_Samantha, you stupid broad, do you have any idea how girly and silly you're being? _ Her left brain shouted at her right. _Are you seriously gonna follow the king of dorks around just to see where he's going?_

A very prim and proper right side answered back. _**It's not silly or girly at all. As for him being a dork, don't you think it's time to take a second look? He's six foot-three and you could wash clothes on his abs. You've been running this show for a long time, Sam, and maybe it's time you stepped back some. You seem to forget that I know you have had some very impure thoughts about Freddie for some time now.**_

_Well listen to Miss Prissy_, _would ya? Don't say shit for years and now getting all high and mighty on me. When did you grow a pair_, _sister?_

_**I grew a pair, as you put it, the moment I found out that we, read that we; as in both of us; are really falling for him. You can't keep screwing around**_, _**Sam; he's the greatest guy you've ever known. He holds open doors for us; he helps us anytime we need him day or night; he has a very tender and loving heart**_; _**and we both know we would be loved and protected in his arms. **_

_What about Will? You do remember him don't you? The dude you kissed in his car, held hands with as you watched a movie, and talked to all through dinner? He likes us too. What about him?_

The demure right side said nothing for several seconds, and then in its prim and proper voice, ended the conversation with a quick two sentences.

_**Fuck it, we're still following Freddie. We'll figure this stuff out later.**_

Keeping as far back as she could and still keep Freddie in sight, Sam followed him as he headed toward the eastern half of Seattle. She could tell he was listening to some song he really liked by the way his head was bobbing up and down.

_Listening to music or having a nerd seizure. _She grinned as she watched him rocking out. It was goofy and silly; it was also very sexy, which surprised her.

They pulled up to the intersection of Angler and Sabine Street. Freddie pulled into the left turning lane and waited at the light. With no car behind him Sam was forced to hang back two car lengths in the lane beside his. She managed to catch a break when the green arrow came on and Freddie turned.

Counting to four after he turned Sam whipped over into the turn lane and turned just as the light flashed red. She caught just a hint of his tail lights as he pulled into the parking lot of a… **Church**?

Sam slowed down and pulled into a Pork Hut parking lot and sat on the bike watching Freddie's car.

She watched as he got out and walked toward the door. Other people in the parking lot were waving at him and several older men clasped his hand in the ancient art of handshaking. His face had a serene look that made the butterflies in her stomach churn in a most wonderful way. He stopped at the door and opened it for an older couple behind him. The old woman smiled at him and patted his arm as she walked through. A slight tint of red crawled across his face as he followed behind them.

Sam walked into the parking lot, and after looking into the sanctuary to be sure she wouldn't be seen, she slipped in and sat in the very back pew. She scanned the room and found Freddie talking to an older man in a black suit. They seemed to have an ease with each other that left her with the feeling they had known each other for quite some time. People of all ages seemed to walk by and shake Freddie's hand or slap him on the back, all of them smiling at him with a warmth that shocked Sam.

It had never occurred to her before that Freddie actually had a life outside of their little click. Yet there he was, talking to people she didn't know or had ever met, and it was a little earth shaking to suddenly realize he had a whole other life that they… she wasn't a part of. She began to wonder about all the things she didn't know about Freddie and just what kind of man he really was.

Several girls, she guessed their ages to be anywhere from sixteen to eighteen or nineteen, came up to him and began to chat with him. Sam fought every instinct in her body not to run over and chase the no good chippies away from him.

_What the hell? _Her mind screamed at her. _Why should it bother me that these chicks are… all over him? Oh my God… he really doesn't notice that they are flirting with him. Fredbag can't be that dumb; can he?_

An older man tapped Freddie on the back and to Sam's dismay Freddie, the gentleman in the black suit, and the man who had tapped Freddie stepped onto the stage.

The tapper stepped to the podium and began to speak.

"Folks, we'd like to welcome you to the evening service here at Wildwind Church Of Christ. We are always happy to have new visitors and want you to know we are glad you chose to join us this evening. If you would, please fill out a visitor card on the pew in front of you and pass it to the end of the row so we can have a record of your visit."

The man cleared his throat and began to speak again. "Sorry, folks, still got a touch of a cold. We have just a few announcements to tell you about. Debbie and Lyle Stephens are the proud parents of Christy Marie Stephens who was born at Seattle Mercy Hospital at nine-thirty last night. Mother and daughter are doing fine; Lyle is expected to pull through." There was light laughter from the members at the joke. "Next Saturday will be our annual fish fry to raise money for our mission work in India, so tell friends and family to come out for a good cause. Six dollars will get you all the fish, hushpuppies, and fries you can eat. Taking part in our services tonight; Brother David Hill will lead us in a song; Brother Freddie Benson will lead us in prayer; And Brother Don Loftis will bring us the message of the hour."

A man stood and walked to the podium as the announcement man left the stage and sat down. A projector came on and the words to a hymn flashed on the wall behind the stage.

"Will you please stand and sing with me?" He was a short, round bellied man with a comb over hair style that might have worked for him if he had more than the eight hairs he was using.

Sam stifled a chuckle and stood, making sure that she couldn't be seen by Freddie.

The man took a small round silver device out of his pocket and blew into it. Sam picked up the slight noise and realized that he had done that to get the right key to sing in. Despite herself, Sam was quickly feeling at home in the building and finding it harder and harder not to stare at Freddie.

The man began to sing the song, **It's Just Like Heaven**, while conducting with his hands. The harmony of the church as a whole was impressive to Sam. She felt a slight chill as the voices sang out pure and clear.

As the song ended, the round man went and sat down as Freddie rose and walked to the podium.

"Would you bow your heads and pray with me?" Freddie's voice boomed through the sanctuary.

Sam watched as everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes. She bowed hers, but kept her eyes on Freddie as he prayed out loud.

"Dear Lord, we thank you for this day that you have given us and for the chance we have to gather together and worship in your holy name. We thank you for the love that you have shared with us through your son Jesus and hope you find our worship pleasing in your eyes."

Even with his eyes closed, Sam could see the brightness in Freddie's eyes. His voice was strong and confidant as he spoke. This wasn't iCarly Freddie talking; this was Fredward talking, and Sam was most interested in not only what Fredward had to say, but what he liked. At this point in the day, Sam couldn't even remember Carly's name much less Will's. Sam's mind was locked on Freddie and Freddie only.

"We ask that you watch over our troops who are overseas and in harm's way. We ask that you be with the sick, and if be your will, restore to them their health. We ask that you comfort those who have lost a loved one. Lord, I also ask that you watch over and send your love to my best friend Samantha and her mother. They have gone through some dark days and need to know they are not alone and can lean on you for support. We ask all of these things in your son's name; Amen."

Sam sat stunned at what she had just heard. She had almost gotten angry when he mentioned her name, but as he prayed she lost all her anger. She watched him step off the stage and sit in the second row of pews.

_He prayed for me, _she thought. _How could I be so blind to the fact that he's this incredible man? There is so much I've seemed to have missed about him. _

Don now stood at the podium and began to speak.

"Tonight's lesson will be coming from the book of John chapter seven verses fifty-three through chapter eight verses eleven. A woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus and the crowd began to prepare to stone her to death as that was the punishment under the Law of Moses. This was another of the Pharisees traps set to have Jesus arrested. They hoped that he would do or say something that would break their laws.

Jesus then, once again, demonstrated his message of love. He picked a stone up and held it out toward the crowd and said, "**Here, let he who is among you that has no sin cast the first stone.**"

The crowd stood still and then disbanded, their bloodlust dissipated by Jesus' words. He extended his hand to the woman and helped her to her feet. He didn't chastise her for her sin. He told her, "**Go forth and sin no more**."

"Nothing that we do or could do would keep the Lord from forgiving us, except ourselves. It's waiting for all and it's free, but you have to accept it and ask for it. God will forgive anything you could do, as long as you…"

Sam quietly got up and walked out of the sanctuary and back to the bike. She stood there for a few minutes just lost in thought before calling Spencer.

"Hey, Spence," she said as he picked up. "I'm on my way back with the bike. Could you run me to my house when I get there?"

"Sure thing," he said. "So did you take care of what you needed to?"

"Kind of," she said in a very unsure voice. "Let's just say I found out that I don't know half of what I thought I did. Be there in just a few."

As she closed her phone, the chime for text message sounded. She looked at the phone and then hit the open button.

**FreeWilly2: Hey Sam. Really looking forward to our date tonight. U B Cool 4 A beautiful chick, LOL! Thought about you all day.**

_Damnit, why did he have to say that? _Sam thought as she put the bike helmet on. _Will really is a nice guy and I owe him at least the courtesy of giving this a shot. Besides Freddie is way too good for me. I'd end up screwing it up anyway. Wow, doing the right thing sucks!_

Sam had just turned at the red light when the doors of the church opened. People talked as they made their way towards their cars. Freddie stepped out just ahead of Don and watched the parking lot empty as he spoke to the preacher.

"I hate to ask and, not even sure if I should, but I really believe they could use the help." Freddie handed his older friend a piece of paper. "I hate to see them hurt anymore, you know?"

"Yes I do." Don patted Freddie's shoulder. "As you say they may get mad, refuse any help at all, not speak to me; but just imagine if she's open to giving it a try, Freddie. Polly and I were never able to have children, but if we had, I'd like to think my son would have been like you."

"Thank you, sir."

"What did you decide to do about your problem from this morning?"

"I'm gonna step aside and let Sam and Will have a chance at something." Freddie's voice sounded hollow and sad as he spoke. "I have no idea where her head is at. I mean she probably isn't even interested in anything beyond a friendship. I want to see her happy and she's said she's happy with Will."

"Just don't forget that you deserve to be happy also, Freddie. You spend so much time trying to make others happy that you don't see just how unhappy **you** are."

"Well, maybe things will get better." Freddie grinned as he headed toward his car.

Don Loftis waved and looked at the piece of paper Freddie had given him.

**Pamela Puckett **

**222 Eagle's Rock Ave.**

**(444) 555-2787**

_I think they have started to get better already_, Don thought as he went inside the building to get a few pamphlets and things he would need when he went to talk to Miss Pamela Puckett.

.

.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good. I wouldn't miss the chats for anything.

Writtenbyabdex: Thanks for the shoulder to cry on and the whoopee cushion to make me laugh.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

Princess-Warrior 17

eleanorr1gby

As always review and let me know what you think.


	15. Sunday Night In Seattle Part 2

Sunday Night In Seattle Part 2

A/N: As always I'm indebted to StoryPainter for her solid work and red pen for helping me look like I know what I'm doing.

I also owe a debt to Writtenbyabdex for the support, the jokes, and friendship when needed.

A huge debt to the backstage gang, you can't make that stuff up! You guys really help me unwind after a long day and make me laugh. No price can be put on that and I thank you.

Eleanorr1gby, I thank you for the laughs and the fun just talking (well typing). Your talent is almost as big as your heart and that really says something. I got your back so fire away and do what you do so well.

Princess-Warrior 17, my partner in crime, I see good things for you young lady. Thanks for the ear to listen and the humor when needed.

.

.

I guess you guys didn't like the last chapter, or maybe I'm just writing this for me, but we have a ways to go yet so kick back and I hope have some laughs with the drama.

.

.

After the Fair, Will and his family had headed home so Will could clean up for his date. _My date; my date with Sam; Sam and I have a date; I'm dating Sam; Sam is dating me; I did date Sam; I am dating Sam; I will date Sam._

Will ran and reran this mantra in his head, like trying to remember lines for a play, as he showered. He would repeat Sam's name, but Tara would find a way to swim against the tide in his mind and plant herself in the middle of everything.

_I told you, dumbass, that this was going to happen. You never fucking listen to me, and I'm you_, _dude. I do what I can to keep you out of trouble and on the right course, but you treat me like you treat your parents. Seriously_, _dude, you've walked into the… no make that ran into the mine field as fast as you could. You're making us look bad here._

The memory of him and Tara sharing the funnel cake popped into his head as he scrubbed his hair. The little bit of powdered sugar that clung to the tip of her nose as she wiped everywhere except where it actually was. How hard it was to keep from shaking as he reached out with the napkin and wiped it off for her.

_Dude, really? I fucking quit! You do know I'm gonna pester your ass nonstop when this blows up in your face? _

As he stepped out of the shower and began to dry off, he looked at himself in the mirror, after wiping off the condensation from the hot water. He wondered how all this got started and then thought about Sam.

Freddie had told him a lot about her and what she had been through. Her father leaving, her mom being vaguely there if at all, and the way boys tended to treat her pitifully when she would date them. Freddie had told him to just take it easy and not push too hard and things would be fine. He had also made it very clear that if Will hurt her that Freddie would and could whip his ass, and Will believed he could very easily.

Sam was a great girl and Will knew he was lucky to be dating her. The thing with Tara really had caught him off guard, and he was clearly in over his head.

As he pulled his underwear on, the decision he didn't want to make became clear to him. _Dance with the one you came with. _His father had always told him that. He understood what it meant now. He had met Sam first and had asked her out. He had a very good time with her, a great time actually and even shared a very special kiss with her. He couldn't just pull up stakes and run to Tara. He didn't even know if Tara felt the same way about him. _Dance with the one you came with. _

_Being moral and doing the right thing sucks_, _son_, his inner voice spoke to him as he finished dressing and began to brush his teeth. _We'll get through this, my boy_,_ and come out on the other side just fine._

A mental picture of Tara and him sitting in the photo booth, shoulders touching and a current in the air that almost hummed, popped into his head and he smiled.

_Ah… shit. Almost _had_ it. This is going to be a very long evening!_

_._

_._

Tara stepped out of her shower, did a quick swipe at the condensation on the mirror and gave herself a good once over look. For the first time in a long time, she noticed positive things about herself.

_I'm overweight, sure, but I'm not fat. My hair is pretty when I fix it up. I have clear skin and nice teeth. I'm fun and outgoing with people_, _and let's face it, I have a great rack. My boobs, my D-cup boobs, are spectacular._

She smiled and wrapped a towel around herself. As she began to dry her hair, she replayed video of the day in her head.

It was easy and comfortable with Will. He was funny and very much the gentleman. She guessed it was the kindness in his voice and eyes that sealed the deal. They had talked, really talked, about everything. He listened to her and left her feeling at ease with herself. He had talked to her and not at her like most guys did.

It had been her observation that most men were guilty of listening to a woman talk for about three seconds, and if they weren't interested in the story, you could see the curtain close and knew he wasn't listening to a word that was said. It was worse for girls like her. Being overweight, awkward around boys, and having low self-esteem, this little trick could and did wreak havoc on the psyche.

In a short two days' time, she had met two of the most remarkable men, outside of her father that was, and her outlook on life had changed forever. After years of _Fatty, fatty two by four can't get your big ass through the door _and so many snide and truly ego squashing taunts and looks from boys and girls, her dream had come true. In forty-eight hours or so she had found not one but two boys who liked her as she was.

_I'm the Cinderella of the Lane Bryant crowd_, she thought as she posed herself like a Playboy centerfold. _Tara likes to take long walks on the beach, pizza with olives, her cat Mercy and gardening in the nude. Turn on: Polite people, animals, romantic movies, and large penises!_

_Turn off: Rude people, hunting, Cadburry Happypants and douchebag freeloaders with small dicks!_

She laughed as she dried off and began to dress. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this upbeat and positive about life. Freddie had opened the door at the party. She had never been picked first for anything in her life. When he had walked up to her and asked her to dance, she hadn't been sure if it was a joke or if the punch she had drunk had been spiked.

Freddie had been very blunt with her about his feelings, and it had made her feel closer to him than she had ever been with anyone outside her family. He was concerned he might hurt her or give her the wrong idea and had explained that his heart was somewhere else at the moment, but he still wanted to spend time with her and be her friend. If she could have at that moment, she would have shouted to everyone in the room that she mattered and that everyone who had ever treated her like crap could sit and spin on her middle finger while she served crow for all of them to eat.

She giggled at the thought and remembered how Tommy Klimmer had nearly crushed her soul with his evil prank in seventh grade. She would love for him to have seen her dancing with the hottest guy in school. Freddie had held her close and even kissed her cheek, something she would have loved to have a picture or, better yet, a video of so she could force it to loop on his computer till it blew it up.

Puberty hit her hard at the age of twelve. That summer, although she had always been heavy, Mother Nature struck with a vengeance. She stopped growing up and started growing _**out**_**!** She went from a training bra to a C-cup in just a few months, and her first period left her bedridden for a day and sure that everyone in the world should die just because she felt bad.

When seventh grade started that fall, she had dreaded it like the plague. Being heavy had always made her a target for the **Cool Kids**, and she knew adding huge breasts would make sure the target would glow neon green. "**Tara's Tata's**", "**Rollins' Rack**", and a hundred different and painful ways to describe her chest were unloaded on her before the first day of school, a half day no less, was over. She had learned not to cry or even act like she cared what was said; she knew if she did they would hound her till she fell apart, and she wasn't going to give the bastards the satisfaction of letting them win by making her cry.

Tommy Klimmer had come up beside her on the walk home from school and had begun to talk to her. He smiled and asked her about classes and what she did over the summer and had really been nice to her. They had laughed about some of the teachers and at some of the strange new subjects they were now supposed to learn about. She had fallen for his trick hook, line, and sinker. She spent the evening on the phone with Linda and Sally, sure Tommy was going to ask her out. The next few days had been glorious. Tommy was always around, always talking to her and always going out of his way to be kind. Tara was sure that the awkwardness that had been her life was past and Klimmer was a most beautiful last name.

He waited till the weekend to spring his trap. He invited her over to his house for a cookout. Midway through the meal he spilled mustard on her shirt. After endless apologies he had offered her one of his oversized T-shirts and let her dress in his room. What he didn't tell her was he had set up a web cam and caught a picture of her in her bra. They had a great night and she'd thought all was well.

At seven-thirty that next Monday morning, she found out about the picture and what Tommy had been up to. When she walked in the door of school, pictures of her in her bra were everywhere. Lockers, walls and even bathroom stalls; she found out later.

Her face turned red as chants of **Tara's Tata's **seemed to choke the very air she was breathing. It had been the only time she had ever cried because of taunts. The tears flowed like a heavy summer rain and she couldn't stop them. She felt herself shriveling up and actually heard her soul snap. It had felt like the crowd had closed in on her and she had been trapped by a wolf pack.

She didn't remember how long she had stood there, except that it had felt like an eternity, unable to move. She finally managed to snap out of the trance she had entered and push through the crowd to exit the building. She ran home as fast as she could, curled up beside her bed and cried till she had no more tears left. She had been thankful her mom had gone with her friends to some huge yard sale at the edge of town; it meant she had been alone and didn't have to talk about it. She had been mortified at how she had been treated and had considered ending herself right then.

That had been long ago and a million broken hearts had followed, but none that had cut quite so deep. She smiled as she thought about how two years later Tommy's girlfriend let the school know Tommy wasn't very big below the waist. It was with peculiar joy that the name **Tommy the Thumbdick** had attached itself to him and never gone away.

Freddie had been very caring and supporting to her and she loved him for that. It hadn't taken away the old pain, but it sure did a good job of letting her leave it behind.

_Alright girls, time to pack you up before you put someone's eye out_. She laughed out loud as she hooked the clasp of her bra. _I may be fat_, _Tommy, but if I had a choice, I'd take fat and big tits over that bugfucker you call a cock any day. At least I can lose the weight_,_ but you'll be a neddledick for life._

The thing with Will had caught her off guard. She had no plans for it to happen and as far as she had known, never wanted it to happen. They had just hung out together at the Fair. He had joked with her and shared things about himself that she was sure he hadn't with anyone else. It had been fun and warm and very comforting to spend the day with him. She knew the exact moment when it happened. It had been a moment of clarity that had flashed like lightning in the dark.

He told her she had some powdered sugar on her nose. She spent the next bit of time trying her best to wipe it off but failed. Will had laughed and reached out and whipped it off for her. His touch had set off a floodgate of feelings as she swore she was going to sink to her knees. There had been a second, a mere wisp of a moment, where their eyes locked as he cleaned her nose and she had known that she was falling in love with him.

She was terrified at the thought of it, but was powerless to stop it. It felt like when she had a song in her head she couldn't get rid of. She'd change the station and damned if it wouldn't pop up there also. She turned her head and saw the huge panda stuffed animal Will had won for her. Her lips just naturally curved into a smile.

_Okay girl, let's get your mind right! _She walked into her room and began to put a little make-up on. _First thing's first. He's dating someone, hello! Sam may be friendly with me, but putting the moves on her boyfriend would eat that goodwill up real quick. Face it; Sam could kick both mine and Will's ass without breaking a sweat._

_The second thing is that he's not the type of guy who would do that to any girl. That's part of what made you fall for him in the first place._

_The third thing is even if he was a cheater, I'm not. Only in my life could I go from wallflower that's never been noticed to someone who now has two guys whowant to spend time with me._

_The right thing to do is just not act on my feelings and just stay friends with Will. I think I'm beginning to understand how Freddie's feeling. At least I have a shoulder to cry on_.

.

.

Sam was helping her mom get into bed when Freddie called her. She had come home to find her mom hammered drunk and talking to Samuel, Sam's dead dad. The words were slurred to the point of being gibberish. One stretch of words sounded like one long vowel sound interrupted by hiccups, burps and something that smelled like a cross between a burp and vomit. While bad, this time wasn't the worst it had ever been.

"Fredachinnie, what it be?"

"Be there in less than five, princess."

She smiled as she opened the door to her mom's bedroom. "Then you'll be waiting for another five minutes, nub."

"Figured as much." His laughter sent warm currents through her. "I brought _**War and Peace**_to read."

"Now you know that remark is going to get you one wet Willie, don't you?"

"And you know one wet Willie will have you walking to your date tonight, don't you?"

"You just keep digging that hole, buddy, keep digging that hole."

She hung-up and got her mom in the bed. She covered her with a whisky and cigarette smelling blanket and tip-toed out of the room.

She was ready to go, but she intended to make Freddie wait; just to mess with him. She was still having trouble wrapping her head around the idea Freddie went to church and had this other life that she'd never known about. The thing was it made her want to know more about this other half of him.

She had decided that she owed Will a chance. He'd asked her out and she did really like him, but Freddie had set up camp in the back of her mind and refused to leave. He would radiate himself in her mind at the most improper of times, and even though she was choosing Will, Freddie just wandered her brain leaving warmth she couldn't and didn't want to stop.

She watched through the window as he pulled up in front of the house. His head bobbing to some beat that was on the radio.

_My God, he'll be a nub till the day he dies_. She smiled as he went into what looked like some kind of convulsion.

She checked herself out in the mirror by the front door. For reasons that she couldn't understand, she had picked out her purple mini-dress. It had small spaghetti straps and left her shoulders bare. The skirt hung just above her knees and really showed off her well-toned legs. The top hugged her figure like a glove and left no doubt that Sam Puckett was a very chesty young woman. Her hair was in its natural curl and hung loose around her shoulders.

As she looked at herself, it suddenly struck her that she was dressing for Freddie instead of Will. _Damn-it, this is going to be harder than I thought_!

.

.

Freddie finally turned down the radio and cut his car off after Richard Marx's "_**Waiting On The Sunrise"**_went off. Something about the song always made him hyper and he loved it. He got out and started messing with his phone as he waited for Sam. He knew good and well she was watching him at the moment, enjoying the fact she would make them late and it would bother him. He had accepted that fact a long time ago and just acted upset to please her. He actually had become fond of the whole thing.

_Time to look at my watch and shake my head like I'm upset, _He grinned to himself as he made an exaggerated look at his watch. _Got to give Sammy her little show_.

After another minute Sam opened the door and came out. Freddie's stomach leapt into his throat as she walked toward him, flashing a huge smile that ran down his spine like current running through a power cord.

_Holy shit, _he thought as her stared at her. _She's beautiful and sexy and most definitely dating some other guy. She's not dating me; she's dating Will and that's that. Quit staring at her legs and tits, she's your friend not a girl…woman that makes you want to kiss her stupid. A friend you have fun being around, not a woman you want to throw on the bed and screw till neither one of you could walk. A friend who you can talk to about almost anything, not a woman who's walking toward me and giving me a raging hard on. Ms. Briggs in a thong, Gibby in a thong, my mom in a thong! And the boner is gone, maybe for good!_

He opened the door of the car for her and launched into his _I'm mad about her making us late _routine.

"We're gonna be late," he said, forcing his voice into an exasperated tone.

"And I care because?"

"Because you always make us late. How freaking long does it take to dress?"

She grinned at him, a sly look in her eyes, "Well, I'd say from the tent you were pitching in your pants, I took just the right amount of time."

_Busted_!

Freddie felt the heat as it rushed to his cheeks as he thought quickly.

"Yeah well don't read too much into it, princess, I'm an eighteen year old boy, a stiff breeze brings it to attention. It has a mind all its own."

"Sure," Sam laughed as she got in the car. "How far down your list of boner killers did it take to make _Woody_ go away? Bet you it was either Gibby or your mom in a thong."

"And now comes the awkward part of the evening where we both have overshared with each other. Kind of like watching someone go to the bathroom; the image never goes away. Besides, you're the one who _brought it up_, so to speak."

Sam's face was the one turning red now, and she began laugh so hard it shook the car. He shut the door and walked around and got in.

"Princess, your knight in shining armor will flip his lid when he sees you."

"Knight?" Sam wrinkled her nose. "Dude, seriously, you got to lose the nerdspeak. It's a good thing you're hot or you'd end up in a one bedroom apartment mumbling about people making too much damn noise."

"You think I'm hot?"

_Well big mouth, you sure crammed your foot in this time_!

"Well… not hot like Nathan Kress hot, but yeah for a dork you're not too bad. You'll find some nerd chick that'll be willing kick it with you. Just remember to bring alcohol, lots and lots of it."

"Sam you're the only person I know who can give a compliment that makes you want to slit your wrists."

"Anytime, nub; anytime."

"Well, now that we've beat that dead horse, princess, can I tell you something?"

"Like what?" Sam quizzed.

"I don't think I've seen you this happy before. There's a whole different vibe coming out of you and I think I know why."

_Oh my God, if he says anything about me and him I can't say no; I won't say no._ She felt a sudden rush in the pit of her stomach and an overwhelming urge to run her hands all over him and have him do the same to her.

"You do?" She hated the fact that it sounded like she was scared.

"Will has really done a number on you, hasn't he? You are really into him, aren't you?"

Sam could almost feel the water being poured over the fire in her soul before Freddie even finished his questions. _What did you expect? Some confession of undying love? Time for Samantha to step back and let Sam take the wheel!_

"Yeah." Try as she might, Sam couldn't make herself sound very convincing. "He's a special guy. I really think a lot of him."

_There you go, any more lame and you'd have to shoot the horse_, _Puckett. Special guy; that might just be the lamest thing you have ever said._

"Happiness looks good on you princess; you should try it more often."

He'd meant it; he really did like seeing her happy, and if Will did that for her, then it didn't matter how he felt. He didn't want to do anything that would cause Sam any pain or make her unhappy.

_Just once, once, I'd like to catch a break. Sam's wrong, I am gonna end up in a small apartment talking to myself and yelling for people to shut the hell up!_

"I'll try and do that," Sam said to him. She would give Will a chance and hope he could help her put whatever it was between her and Freddie out of her mind.

_Fat fucking chance of that_, she thought.

.

.

Will and Tara sat on the front porch of her house in matching Cracker Barrel wooden rockers that had been bought during a vacation in Arizona years before. Henry and Kara always bemoaned the fact that Washington State didn't have a Cracker Barrel restaurant in it.

They discussed the day and what part of it each of them liked. They laughed about Happy the Clown and jeering taunts and also about possible things the group could do for the night. It was as if they had known each other their whole lives.

They turned around at the sound of the screen door opening and saw Kara, Tara's Mom, step out onto the porch with cigarette and Zippo lighter in hand. She smiled and nodded at them as she sat in a porch swing at the far end of the porch.

"Don't mind me, kids; I'm just out here to smoke." Kara smiled at the two of them. She placed the cigarette between her lips and opened the Zippo's top. With one calloused thumb stroke, the wick of the lighter caught and flamed to life. Kara puffed the cigarette as she brought the lighter close to it and then inhaled deeply. For a few seconds she was fine, and then the _death rattle _cough began. Her face turned beet red and then an almost purple hue as her cough shook the porch and started dogs barking.

After about thirty seconds the cough stopped and Kara's color became normal again. "Yeah, that's why I love smoking. Who needs oxygen to get through the day?"

As her mother laughed (causing another coughing fit) Tara got up and came to sit beside her.

"Mom, it's getting worse." She placed a hand on her mother's and patted it. "Please, you really need to stop."

"Baby I'm fine." Kara smiled at her daughter. "It's just a little cough."

"**Little**!" Tara shook her head. "Mom, you just got done coughing so hard that it probably set off seismic warnings down the whole coast. I'm afraid that one day half of your lung is gonna come flying out."

"Honey, I know you worry but it's not that easy to quit." Kara hugged her daughter and smiled at Will. "So you're going on a double date I hear?"

"Actually, it's a quad date," Will quipped. "Sam and I are joining Freddie and Tara and two other couples for the night."

"Henry and I went out a few times on a group date thing," Kara said with a hint of mirth in her eyes. "It was shall we say, **interesting** to say the least!" Kara managed to chuckle and not give into the cough that hung at the edge of her throat waiting to pounce when it could.

"Like how?" Tara asked, curious about the chuckle and grin on her mom's face.

"Let's just say that a group dynamic added to a date makes for some strange and unusual happenings." The chuckle flowed through the entire sentence and the grin never faltered.

A flash of head lights struck the porch and caused the three of them to turn and look as Freddie pulled into the driveway. Freddie got out and walked over and opened Sam's door. As he helped her out of the car, Sam smiled like someone had just given her ham for life.

_Okay, Pucket, let's get a grip here and remember Will is your date, not Freddie_. Even as she thought it, smoke from Freddie's camp site in the back of her mind drifted around in her brain.

"Hey you," Sam smiled as she stepped onto the porch and gave Will a hug; a very stiff hug.

"Wow, you look…" Will stumbled over the different phrases he should say. He was torn by the fact that Tara was standing close to him, and he was still very confused about what he was feeling for her and the fact that Sam looked fantastic and was **his** date for the evening.

"I mean you are just… hot!"

The crimson rushed to his face before the words ever left his mouth.

_If you had just shut the fuck up and said nothing it would have been better than "__**you're hot"**_!_ Why not go the whole nine yards and just trip and grab a boob as you piss yourself, numbnuts! _

Freddie was waging a mighty war to keep the chuckle that was running wild in his mind from coming out of his mouth. He looked at Tara and knew immediately he had made a mistake as he watched her turn red and duck her head down so her hair covered her face. Sam wasn't in any better shape as her mouth hung slightly ajar as she looked at Will. She could feel the laugh surging through her body, a current of live energy looking to escape.

"Will, you are one charming young man." The retort came from Kara Rollins as she lit yet another cigarette. Kara's droll remark was the pressure that released the cork of Sam, Freddie, and Tara's laughter.

Will's face went a dark shade of crimson as Sam, Freddie, and Tara gave in to the laughter they had been fighting. After a few seconds, Will, unable to fight the peals of laughter, gave in and laughed himself.

"How are you not married with slick lines like that, dude?" Tara managed to get out between laughing fits.

"Aw, he's just so sweet." Sam laughed as she pinched Will's left cheek. "Has your Mommy been letting you date long?"

"Leave the poor man alone." Freddie patted Will's back. "He's doing the best he can, it's not his fault a blue eyed demon has hexed him with her charms and turned him into a tongue tied hormonal enraged man-child."

"I loathe you all and wish very bad things to happen to each of you before the night is over. Will kept his face straight as he laid his curse on the trio.

They began to walk to Freddie's car as the laughter slowly died down. When Freddie and Will reached the car, they both opened the right hand front and back doors for the ladies. Both were a little taken aback as Sam slid into the front seat and Tara into the back. The boys looked at each and silently passed a look of _should we say something or just let it go _between them. They nodded at each other and coughed into the back of their hands. Sam and Tara had both sat down and were in the process of putting their seats belts on when they noticed what they had done and without a sound got out of the car and switched seats, both a little red faced.

Freddie and Will smiled at each other and just shrugged their shoulders before they climbed in themselves.

As the car started and Freddie began to back out of the driveway, Richard Marx's" **Hold On To The Night"** playing from the CD deck, Kara Rollins lit another cigarette with the smoked down butt of the one she just finished. She shook her head as her laugh gave way to yet another wave of coughing that left her almost purple and gasping for breath.

_Those kids are clueless about what they want,_ Kara thought as the smoke circled around her head and she took another long draw off the cigarette in her mouth. _I think that love is in the air this year. Well the kids are gone and Henry's game should be about over, so why can't the old fogies get in on a little summer love'n?_

Kara crushed out the cigarette and stood up, getting lightheaded for a moment, and began to hum a tune from her past, "**Close to You**" and shuffled her way into the house, loosening the belt of her housecoat as she walked.

"Henry, can you come and look at something in the bedroom?" she shouted.

"Sure thing, Kara, what's wrong? He shouted back at her.

"Not one damn thing, stud!" She purred back at him. "Stop by the bathroom and get one of those blue pills of yours, we got a few hours to kill!"

She roared with laughter as she heard what sounded like a herd of wild elephants scramble up the steps.

.

.

Love to the Backstage bullpen, you know who you are, for the wild chats and great fun we are having being petty, childish, and just plain mean sometimes, it feels so good. I wouldn't miss the chats for anything.

Writtenbyabdex: Thanks for the shoulder to cry on and the whoopee cushion to make me laugh.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

Princess-Warrior 17

eleanorr1gby

As always review and let me know what you think.


	16. Dinner And A Show

Dinner And A Show

.

.

A/N: As always I'm indebted to StoryPainter for her solid work and red pen for helping me look like I know what I'm doing.

I also owe a debt to Writtenbyabdex for the support, the jokes, and friendship when needed.

A huge debt to the backstage gang, you can't make that stuff up! You guys really help me unwind after a long day and make me laugh. No price can be put on that and I thank you.

Eleanorr1gby, I thank you for the laughs and the fun just talking (well typing). Your talent is almost as big as your heart and that really says something. I got your back so fire away and do what you do so well.

Princess-Warrior 17, my partner in crime, I see good things for you young lady. Thanks for the ear to listen and the humor when needed.

.

.

After the song _Hold On To The Night_ finished playing, Freddie reached over and turned the radio down.

"So," he said in a very jovial voice. "Where are we going to be eating tonight ladies?"

Sam tapped Tara on the shoulder and she turned toward the backseat and the two girls began to whisper and smile.

"Will I hope you have enough cash or at least an ATM card, because Puckett can eat three peoples weight in food?"

Freddie swung his head forward just in time to cause the slap Sam aimed at the back of his head to miss.

"Shut up nub, or I'll tell everyone about how mommy labels your underwear!" Sam smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

"We don't assault the driver while he's driving, demon." Freddie stuck his tongue out at the rearview mirror so Sam could see it.

"Yeah, Freddie, you just keep running that revenge tab up." Sam's voice held a mild threating tone that was completely undone by the humor in her eyes.

"Where are we going ladies?" Will asked.

"Mama Tam's Dragon Palace." Sam and Tara both said at the same time.

"And we'll be stopping at the ATM." Freddie ducked Sam's head slap, but fell right into Tara's light head smack.

"No soup for you!" Tara said in a light Italian accent before dissolving into chuckles and high fiving Sam.

"Nice technique, Tara, but next time use just a little more open handed and you'll get a better sound, like this."

Sam quickly reached forward and slapped the back of Freddie's head, not hard, but enough to make a sound.

"Ow, Demon, that hurt," he rubbed the back of his head and over played the part of being hurt.

"Oh, man up nub and floor it, Momma's hungry!"

.

The rest of the ride to Mama Tam's was filled with mirth and finding a common ground with each other. They sang along with the radio (Will wasn't allowed to sing after a few bars of something that didn't sound human) and told stories (Sam did her best to embarrass Freddie, but he just smiled) and by the time they reached the restaurant the couples had formed a comfortable little clique for themselves.

After parking the car, Freddie and Will got out and opened the doors for the girls. The line was short so in less than five minutes they were seated and their drink orders taken (Sweet tea for Freddie and Sam and Diet Fizz for Will and Tara).

As they walked toward the food bar Tara slowed down a bit so she and Freddie were behind and out of earshot of Will and Sam. She motioned with her head toward the last of the eight food bars and Freddie nodded and followed her back to it.

.

Mama Tam's had been one of Seattle's best kept secrets for almost fifty years. Far outside the normal tourist lanes, Mama Tam's did not look to be anything more than just a cookie cutter Chinese restaurant that could be found anywhere in the USA. It's outside looked a little rundown and the once upscale neighborhood had fallen on hard times and Mama Tam's might have declined with it except that once inside the aroma of fine Chinese food took everyone hostage and held them. Lunch or dinner, it didn't matter; Mama Tam's always put out the best.

Giuseppe (George) Giordano had emigrated with his parents from Sicily to America in 1930 at the age of ten. He enlisted in the Marines on December 8th, 1941 and was sent to the South Pacific after training. He would end up fighting in five major battles and winning a Silver Star.

Giordano stayed in the Marines after the war and was stationed in Japan. It was there that he met Xue Wong. She had been taken to Japan by a Captain in the Japanese army after the defeat of the Chinese at Nanking in December 13th, 1937. Her family had been slaughtered by the Japanese in the six-week massacre that followed after the defeat. She had no one to go home to, no way to get there and no home if she did go back.

George was smitten the first time he saw her and slowly wooed the young woman who had been brutalized by men in uniforms for years. He finally broke through to her and on March 15th, 1948 they married and settled into life together on the Marine base. By the time George retired in 1966 the couple had six daughters and three sons.

The family moved to Seattle and eight months later Mama Tam's (named for Xue's beloved grandmother) opened its doors. It had been Xue's dream to open a restaurant and George moved heaven and earth to give her her dream. They ran the place with their children and Xue was as happy as George had ever seen her. The restaurant was a place of peace for Xue and it helped to erase the memories of her brutal youth. George worked the cash register and Xue cooked and fussed over the patrons. George passed away in 1986 and Xue followed him in 1988. The Giordano family (by then numbering some fifty-five members) still ran the place and kept it the homey and delightful place their parents had started.

.

Tara grabbed a plate and circled around so she could see Will and Sam, a precaution she felt she had to take, and waited for Freddie to step beside her. Freddie smiled at her and the look she had of a conspirator plotting the downfall of a King as she looked around.

"Freddie can I tell you something and keep it just between us?" She whispered this as she loaded some lo mein noodles on her plate.

"Sure, Tara, you can tell me anything you want to." He found the way she was looking around; making sure no one was listening; to be funny. "What's up?"

"Freddie." She lowered her head and spoke out of the side of her mouth in a hushed tone. "I… I kind of met this guy today and I… that is I… it's like this… ImetthisgreatguyandIthinknoIknowIreallyreallylikehim."

Freddie almost dropped his plate trying not to laugh at Tara's whispered confession that was one long sentence. He caught the gist of what she said, but still needed her to say it again, slower, and he told her just that.

"I met this great guy and I think, no I know, I like him."

"That's great, Tara! I'm so happy for you." Freddie stretched his arms out to hug her, but stopped as she shook her no.

"Not so great." A sad but sweet smile formed from her lips. "He's dating someone I kind of know."

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Tara. Welcome to my world… the friend zone. It sucks."

He gave her a small hug and they walked back to their table in silence.

Will and Sam were already sitting down when Tara and Freddie got to the table. Will's plate was full, but not overly so. Sam's, however, was loaded like a person who had been months without food.

"Crap, Sam, two plates at once?" Freddie smirked as he slid in to the booth on her right side. "You can go back for more you know."

"I know, nerd, but you know momma doesn't like exercise." She thumped the end of his nose with her right middle finger, laughing as she did so. "Just for that you'll be getting my next plate of food."

"I can't lift your weight in food Puckett."

"Wuss!"

The table grew somewhat quiet as they began to eat. The broad playful chat between them all gave way to a more intimate chat between them. They shared stories about school, friends, and family. The comfort level at the table was amazing to them all.

"… so as we're pulling into _Pancake House_ who should show up but Will and his family. So we just all went to the fair together. Except for Will's little brother." Tara and Will both looked at each other and began to roar with laughter.

"Poor little nuthug, spent the day with the grandparents because he couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"We dominated bumper cars, and Will dunked the rude clown at the dunking booth."

"Happy The Clown!" Sam and Freddie said at the same time through laughter of their own.

"I can't believe that asshole is still there. I'd have thought someone would have punched his card by now." Sam grinned as she thought about the time she had Freddie keep Happy busy as she had pink dye into the booth's water along with some homemade itching power she had had with her. Happy had been anything but happy that night. When he had shouted about his nuts being on fire, Sam had collapsed onto Freddie's shoulder as she laughed so hard she almost passed out.

"I almost punched it for him, but didn't want the jail time." Will smiled.

"Yeah, a pretty boy like you wouldn't last long in prison." At Sam declaration the whole table started laughing.

"Oh wait," Will dug a strip of photos out of his shirt pocket, "we took these at the photo booth.

He handed the pictures to Freddie, who looked and suddenly understood Tara's problem with crystal clarity. With minimal eye movement he shot a glance at Tara, who gave him a sad smile and slight _**yes**_head shake.

Cupid was a really lousy shot most of the time. Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Don José and Carmen, Taylor Swift and any guy she meets, Cupid was indeed the world's worst at bring love to the human race.

In his mind, Freddie saw Cupid as the fat baby from _**Who Framed Roger Rabbit?**_ Eternally trapped in the body of a one year old for life and pissed off at the world and his place in it. So, most likely drunk and sharing his pain with the human race, Cupid took great delight in screwing over the lovelorn.

It was the only thing that made sense, the only thing that explained why the school jock would fall for the girl who never spoke at school or the good girl (read Carly in his mind) would fall for loser after loser and not catch onto the pattern yet. People were all the time falling for the wrong people and getting beat-up by the fat little cherub who was supposed to bring love and happiness to the masses.

The fat little bast… jerk had a ball injecting chaos into his young life. Somewhere between the youth group at church and iCarly, Freddie had begun to notice that girls were far more enticing than Sci-Fi movies or the tech toys that used to take up his days and nights. It also had dawned on him that he was best friends with two girls who had grown into the hottest girls in school, and like it or not the girls of Ridgeway seemed to think he was dating one or both of his co-workers and was therefore off the market.

The only place where he was Freddie Benson, and not Freddie the tech producer of iCarly, was the church youth group. In that one confined atmosphere he was truly himself and he stood out rather than blend into the background. He was confident there and he felt like he mattered.

He had long ago left the crush on Carly behind and had come to see as a sister instead of a girlfriend. Sam had never crossed his mind, except for what new and interesting way she would pick at him, and most other girls were more or less quick and very random crushes at best.

Cupid had really gummed up his summer in a hurry. Less than an hour into the summer break that little shi… brat had shoved Melissa in his face, and then Tara at the party Carly threw. He had come to terms with both of those and then, just for a few laughs, the sadistic little fat as… fat butt threw him the ultimate curve ball, Samantha Puckett. From out of left field traveling at the speed of light, the blond demon had suddenly become a very well built woman and sent his already whirling mind into overdrive.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but sometime last night his and Sam's friendship had changed, for him at least. One minute they were talking and laughing and then they were touching and staring at each other.

_So here I sit,_ he thought. _I have a friend who becoming something more, a girl who will never be more than a friend, and an older, and __**HELLO**_, married woman _clogging my brain like a matchbox car stuck in the toilet._ (He'd done that when he was three, the matchbox car in the toilet, and was pretty sure that why he remembered very little about being three).

"Well, excuse me please, but I'm going to see if they have put more egg rolls out." He smiled and gave Tara a quick nod to join him. "It seems **someone**," he looked directly at Sam, "bogarted them all."

"Fery fomny fer mubsolut." Cabbage and what looked to be pork or chicken flew from Sam's mouth as she spoke with at least half an egg roll in her mouth.

"Thanks for the egg roll, Sam, but I'd like to get one that hadn't been chewed beforehand."

He stood and walked toward the back row of the buffet noticing that they had not only put new egg rolls out, but General Tso's chicken as well. (His all-time favorite)

Within a minute Tara joined him. He didn't look up when she reached his side (he was picking up a second egg roll).

"Ever get the feeling the world is a tuxedo and you're a pair of brown shoes?" Tara's slight laugh made him happy.

"What do I do Freddie?"

"You're asking the man who has the hots for a married woman for relationship advice?" There was a look of amusement on his face.

"Are we the worst people on the planet or what?"

"We aren't the worst, maybe in the top one thousand, but not the worst."

"If I listen to my brain I just sit back and let him walk away. Now, if I tell him, or worse, see him on the sly, how could we ever work out when we started with being dishonest with Sam and each other?"

"Yeah, when the trust goes there isn't much left." He set his plate down and gave her a quick hug. "I don't know what to tell you."

"So this woman you're hung up on is married?"

"Wow, I didn't even know I said that out loud." Freddie looked down at her. "You must think I'm an asshole."

"Naw, not an asshole, just a pathetic loser like myself."

They laughed and gave each other a little hug before heading back to the table.

.

.

Across town at Fat Moe's Burger Barn, Brad, Gibby, Sally, and Linda sat in a booth in the far right corner of the dining room. Dining room was a bit of a misnomer; gas station toilet would have been more appropriate.

_I'm gonna fucking shoot Gibby, _Brad thought as he watched what he'd thought was a pepper kernel in the floor scurry away at light speed.

_Even Sam wouldn't eat at this shithole. You get food poisoning just walking in the damn door. Nothing says cockblock like taking a girl out to eat at a place where they paint over the cockroaches. Note to self, pick up some baby oil on the way home._

The waitress, who looked as if she had waited tables on the Ark with Noah, finally reached the booth with a scowl on her face.

"Can we get four Peppy Cola's please?" Brad tried really hard not to rude to Methuselah or whatever her name was.

"Hold up there smart ass and let me get my damn pad and pencil out." Barbara Jean's, at least that what the faded and gravy stained nametag said her name was, voice reverberated through the entire shithole of a place. Everyone turned and watched the unfolding events in the corner booth.

"They teach you to read in school honey?" She tapped a long white pencil, that she had extracted from the twenty pounds of hair done up in the shape of a beehive, on Brad's forehead and pointed to the sign on the counter that read** Proud To serve Choke Cola here**. "We got Choke Cola, sweet tea with lemon, milk, and coffee. I'd suggest milk for you, it'll get that brain pan of yours working. Now what are you brats gonna eat?"

"Could we see a menu please?" Gibby was in his happy place and asked the question in a very sweet tone.

"The name of the place is, Fat Moe's Burger Barn, what the fuck do you think we serve here? Are you a retard or just a stupid little shit?" Barbara Jean stared at Gibby waiting for an answer; the scowl had now turned into a sadistic smirk as Gibby grinned at the woman like she had given him a compliment.

"I like to think I'm a little of both." Gibby's cherub like grin shocked the others at the table as well as his answer did. "When did they let you out of the crypt, Barbara Jean?"

"They didn't, I snuck out with your daddy." Barbara Jean let go with a laugh that was somewhere between a braying jackass and a Vanilla Ice song on the annoyance scale.

"Yeah, your daughter told me while I was shaving her back this morning."

_Oh Christ, we're gonna did in this hellhole because of Gibby's big mouth. What the hell is he doing_, Brad sank slightly in his seat, sure that bouncers would soon beat Gibby and himself to a pulp if the old woman didn't.

"Alright, playtime is over." Barbara Jean smiled. (Her smile sent a chill into Brad's soul) "What can I get you kids?"

"Four **Choke Cola's** and a menu since my friends haven't eaten here before."

"You got it ** Y**!" The older woman stretched out Gibby's name just as Gibby himself did as she left to get the drinks and the menus.

"What the hell Gibby?" Brad loud whispered through his clenched teeth. "The place is a shithole, the waitress calls you a retard and stupid to your face and you talk to her like she's your fucking grandma or something, what gives?"

"Hey Barbara Jean is seventy years old and still works four days a week. She's really nice and just needs to blow off steam sometimes so I let her. Besides she always throws in a hot fudge sundae after the meal."

"You are really out there aren't you dude?" Brad shook his head smiled. "Tell me one thing; are the skies blue in your world?"

"Nope, magenta with a trace of yellow and teal clouds."

Barbara Jean returned to the table with four faded and slightly dirty menus as well as the drinks.

"I'll give you kids a few to decide what you want."

Brad was sure that the woman waiting on them now wasn't the same one from before. This woman was nice, smiled at them, and she wasn't spitting venom at them while calling them names.

_Gibby had have been placed on the earth by some alien race, because no one is that strange,_ Brad thought as he looked over the menu.

He was startled when he felt a hand slowly brush his leg, but he didn't show it to the table. He shifted his eyes to his left and caught the mischievous grin on Sally's face. He began to feel the tingling in his privates as she slowly rubbed his leg from knee to just below his pants pocket.

Brad was lost in a hormone fueled rage and only dimly became aware that Sally was now rubbing his right leg also. It took at least thirty seconds for him to notice that Sally held a menu in her left hand.

_Man Sally can…hold…a…menu…and rub both my…legs?_

Brad fearfully cut his eyes over to Linda. She winked at him and then licked her lips.

_Aw fuck! _

"Excuse me ladies, but time to drain the main vein." With that he stood up and headed for what Brad could only imagine to be a restroom that would require you to do everything with your foot because it was grimy.

As Gibby disappeared from site Sally placed her hand on Brad's package as Linda took his hand, which was by his side and placed it firmly on her crotch.

_I am so_… (He was now hard as a rock) … _completely fucked_.

.

.

After laying waste to the buffet at Mama Tam's, Freddie, Tara, Sam, and Will, stood and began to leave. As they walked to the door, the other patrons, (mostly middle-aged couples), smiled at the _youngsters_ as they passed by. The two couples looked cute together and reminded the other couples of their youth. If asked they would have said that Sam and Freddie were a couple as were Tara and Will.

.

.

"Okay, now for the million dollar question," Freddie was fishing the keys to his car out of his pocket as he spoke. "Where are we going now?"

The four of them looked at each other waiting for someone to speak. Freddie thought that it was the loudest silence he had ever heard.

"Maybe we get in the car and drive and something will come to us?" Sam finally broke quiet and startled herself as well as the others with the words.

"Well it beats standing here like knots on a log," Freddie said as he unzapped his car.

They pulled out of the parking lot and on a whim Freddie turned right and began to drive. They past several bowling alleys and all agreed that that would be the last resort if they didn't find anything else to do. The foursome once again fell into a comfortable chatter with each other.

They had just turned off of Fleetwood avenue when Sam yelled, "There, Freddie, turn in there."

Freddie pulled into a CVS Pharmacy parking lot and parked. "You want to walk through a drugstore?"

"No nub king, there we're gonna go there." Sam was pointing to a bar called O'Malley's.

"You have to at least eighteen to get in there Demon."

A sinking feeling opened up in his stomach as the "Puckett causes trouble" grin turned the corners of her mouth into something that would send a chill down the spine of a serial killer.

Sam pulled her phone out and unlocked it.

"Everyone pony up ten dollars, nub you fork over twenty dollars."

"Why do I have to pay more?"

"I can't ask Will to pay for me, we're on a date."

Before Freddie could say another word Sam held up her hand in an sshh mode and began to talk to the person on the other end.

"Rodney? Puckett here. You still got that deal going?"

_Oh dear God_, Freddie buried his face in his hands.

_I don't have near enough money to bail us out of jail_. _Lord, what have I done to offend you_?

.

.

.

If you're looking for some great reading I have to say that anything by these writers will fit the bill:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

Heartlines

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

Princess-Warrior 17

Pigwiz

Yes, I'm back. Well I really didn't go anywhere, I just had another child, bought a new house, and finally have found "Summer's" voice again.

"Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

Robert Frost


End file.
